Christmas Baking time!!

The Start to my Christmas Baking! All my ingredients just begging to be used, abused and baked!

First was the 6 dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies! Mmm! So good they hurt(my waistline that is!) And yes I made 6 dozen, in fact over 6 dozen since I had enough for about 5 more cookies after the 6th batch was done! lol

Gingerbread. I couldn't find my 'men' cookie cutter so I made trees, stars and bells instead. They still taste as yummy! I also added some coconut extract to the icing to give it a new 'twist' which seems to have turned out very nice!

Lime and Strawberry Spritz Cookies. Easy cookies to make! Flavored with JELLO! I used Almond extract in the icing on these since the coconut would drown out the jello flavor!
Aren't they pretty??

Billionaires! Okay Natalie informed me that these are like 100 Grand chocolate bars. Since I have never had them I will have to take her word for it! All I do know is that they are so yummy delicious! Num Yummy!

And Lastly my Peanut Butter cookies! All I had on hand was crunchy peanut butter and I ALWAYS use creamy. But wow I didn't think they would turn out this good with the crunchy! Yum YUM!

That is all I made this year as I was running low on time and on funds! If anyone would like the recipes to any of these fairly easy cookies just let me know!!
I'm off to eat me a cookie!! :D

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Wow Snow!!!
I know it doesn't look like much but down here in Tennessee we don't usually get much snow. Normally just a light flurry here and there. So, we were pleasantly surprised to see some snow so early in the season! Maybe this is a sign that we will have a white Christmas. One can hope!!

My Little Tree!
Okay so I have had this tree for a few years. It's only a little one and this will be the last year we put this little one up cause after Christmas I will be buying a big tree! lol

Our Stockings hung by the stairway with care!?!?!?
Okay so our apartment is in the basement and I have no fireplace to hang our stockings on I decided the stairs next to the tree would be the best place to hang them. The one with the Santa head is a Toronto Maple Leafs stocking my nieces and nephew sent me last year for Christmas, isn't it cute?? The next one is Michael's and the third one is Ziggy's! I hope Santa fills them to the brim!

3-D Snowflakes!
Okay so a friend on Facebook posted the directions on how to make these snowflakes out of paper. I thought they looked so pretty and easy I gave them a try! I have them hanging above my couch and they make it just that little bit more festive down here!

Close up on 3-D Snowflake. You should give them a try! They are fairly easy and make a nice addiction to any Christmas decor! Here's the page with the instructions http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake

So, besides a lot of Christmas nick-nack's and stuff around my apartment that's the basics of my decor. Next Blog I will show off the outside decorations we put up yesterday. I hope everyone is getting into the swing of the holidays and I hope everyone is doing well!

Misfits Concert!

This year for Michael's 35th Birthday his Brother, Casey, got him 2 tickets to go see the Misfits at the Valerium in Knoxville. Anyone who knows Michael knows that the 'fits are his favorite band in the whole world! I have painted the Misfits Fiend on the band room wall, fiends and albums hanging on my wall, shirts, clocks, dolls.. you name it he has it!. Michael even has the fiend tattooed on his back shoulder. It had been over 7 years since he has seen them in concert so he was super excited!

Blurry picture, I know. But that's Jerry Only lead singer/bass player for the 'fits. I couldn't get many good pics cause the place was jumping and we were getting knocked around pretty good. At one point some guy was trying to start up a mosh and he ended up punching Michael right in the nose. No harm or foul he is fine and you just have to expect that at a Misfits concert!

Jerry Only again, but a bit better picture!

Michael standing up against the stage.

The 'fits stage with all their fiends!

Michael getting an autograph from Jerry Only and got to shake his hand. He is very nice and loyal to his fans! He stuck around for at least an hour after the concert shaking hands, talking and signing stuff for everyone!
It was my first 'fits concert and I'm sure it won't be my last! It was a total blast!
It was the best present Michael could of gotten!

The lay of the land....

Just some random pictures of where we live, which can be pretty this time of year!

Taken at the top of the driveway looking down on the street and across the neighbors yard. We live on a pretty big hill with a lot of trees!

Surprising to us there was some snow that morning! We barely get anything by the looks of snow. But this year we seem to have a flurry at least once a week! I'm soooo hoping that we have a white Christmas! But I hardly doubt it!

The fluffy snow clouds! Just a picture taken in the early morning on our way to get Breakfast.

I absolutely love the colors this time of year! But...

...it also leaves a lot of leaves to be cleaned up after they fall. This pile actually was higher then my knee! I was forbidden to jump in it since I didn't help rake it! lol

Well that was a short sweet kinda blog! Just wanted to share the pictures mainly.
Next blog I post will be of my Christmas decorations once I upload the pictures. But yes I've already done all my decorations and my tree is up!! Now to get all the shopping done! lol
Till next time... :D

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving(a bit late I know!) Okay so things have been super crazy round here and I haven't updated this in a little bit. But now things are a bit calmer so I can update what has happened since Thanksgiving.
I don't have many pictures of Thanksgiving since I was so busy helping out but here is a few to share!


Thanksgiving is all about the food in this house! This is just a small part of the food we had! I didn't have time to take more pics since people were hungry and I was busy helping out! lol We had Turkey, Ham, veggies, salads, dressing, deviled eggs, green beans, sweet potatoes, corn, rolls and so much more!



Mmm Desserts! Cranberry salad, pumpkin, chocolate, butterscotch pies, pumpkin roll, Cheesecake, and Blackberry cobbler!



Had to separate the family in 4 different rooms to eat! Here you can see Aunt Donna, Uncle Steve, Michael and Nanny at the first table. Sam, Ashley and Jason can be seen behind with my Father in law standing. Missing are about 6 cousins, My Mother in law, 2 Aunts, 3 Uncles and 3 girlfriends which were all in different rooms eating lol


Stevie Burping making sure that the chef knows it was good. ha ha!


Jason and his girlfriend Brittany. Jason is giving his "I'm damn full" look!


Ashley had small 'surgery' on her leg the day before and wasn't up to being a real part of Thanksgiving. she just wanted her food and then bed! Poor thing! (she is back to normal now tho, gets the stitches taken out on Friday!)



My always smiling Mother in law, Linda. This of course was before she was all grumpy cause she was so stuffed with food!


Uncle Teds dog, Mya, begging me for my Turkey! lol

It was a great day! We ate till we were stuffed and then lazed around with our pants undone watching movies.
And of course we went out at 3:30am to do the whole "Day after Thanksgiving Sale". Me, Sam and Kim set out on the Mall. Got there about 4am and didn't get home till after 9am! Got a lot of great deals and was so tired I didn't wake till about 6pm the next evening! lol

Can't wait for next year! Now, bring on Christmas!

Beef-o-rama Birthday Party!

Today we celebrated Michael's 35th Birthday. As you can see he is letting the fuzz grow back on his face!! It was just a small family gathering with a few friends.

His Mom found one of those tuxedo t-shirts and thought of him(of course) also she got him some new cologne. His fave gift though was the concert tickets his brother got him, to go see the Misfits in Knoxville on December 3rd!! Can't wait to go!! I got him the new AC/DC CD, and a shirt with Animal from the Muppets and it says 'I Rock" on it (ha ha) and also a whole bunch of Halloween items(easy to shop for Halloween after Halloween! ha!)

When asked what foods he would like for his party he wanted all beef, yup he is a beef-a-tarian lol So the menu consisted of Beef Tacos and Manwhich(Sloppy Joes) as seen above...

And Tater Tot Casserole. And of course all the plates, napkins and such were all Halloween items(it's his favorite Holiday might as well run with it since everything Halloween is extremely cheap! haha).

And then of course the cake is Carrot cake, his favorite. Everyone usually gets a real nice store bought cake for their Birthday. But not Michael, he gets a special home made cake from his Mom complete with home made cream cheese frosting!

My Sister in Law Charlsie is getting to look so cute with her baby belly! I say she is gonna have a girl and it will be close to 8lbs, can't wait to see if I'm right and be able to spoil my new niece or nephew!!!

Kim(Michael's Aunt and my best buddy!), Nanny and Linda(Michael's Mom) Don't you love catching people mid word?? I LOVE it! Good for blackmail pics later ha ha.

Casey(Michael's Brother) and Ashely(Michael's cousin) waiting for the food to be ready. You can't help but smile when ya look at this picture. Her smile is contagious!

Well that's Michael's Birthday done for another year! He is now on the other side of 30 heading towards 40!

Happy Birthday Michael!!

Happy Birthday Michael!!

Today is Michael's 35th Birthday. But poor him he is stuck working! :( boo hiss. He will come home to some cold beer, a hot meal and a Chess Cake.
And also we will be having a nice little party on Sunday. He has picked out his menu and stuff. So, it will be a Taco bar, Manwiches, Tater-tot Casserole, chips, and Carrot cake all served on Halloween type plates and decor. Typical him!
Since he was off sick and money being tight this week he will have to wait for the weekend for me to get his gifts. He already knows what he is getting(I'm real bad at keeping secrets like that lol) but waiting 2 extra days isn't all that bad!

So,
HAPPY 35 th BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!!!!

Holy Sh&* what a weird cat!

Okay so life has been pretty boring so I've had nothing to blog about. We were without the internet for a few days cause of a power surge fried out the router and the cable wire. But that is all fixed now. Michael is almost all better from his sickiness but now I'm feeling like crud! My head feels like it's in a fog, my ears hurt and I'm dizzy!! :( It's mainly allergies mixed in with a head cold but I will be fine in a few days lol
This weekend is going to be absolutely boring! With Michael off sick for a whole week we are completely broke! Don't even have enough money for a $1 McChicken ha ha. So, I guess it will be a whole weekend of nothing but jammin' and stuff. Yippie for me! lol
But since I don't feel all that good maybe it's for the best!
Okay enough of that boring crap! Here is a video I know will make ya freaked out and laugh your butt off. My cat Ziggy is the most weirdest cat in the world! And especially since Batty is gone she has gotten even weirder. Yes, Batty still hasn't come home and it has been almost a month :(
Well, enjoy the video! I know I died laughing watching it over and over again!

Sickly Week

Candid Shot of Michael Home sick this week.

Okay so this week has been kinda rough. Michael has been home since last Thursday which gets on my nerves ha ha. I'm used to my usual routine and having him in my face 24/7 makes me ill!! (just don't tell him!)
The doctor took blood, chest x-rays... the whole works! The diagnosis is Bronchitis and a nasty Stomach virus. They gave him 2 shots in the butt and sent him home for rest and some time off work. He goes back to work on Halloween how fitting for him ha ha.

When ever I'm not feeling well I tend to clean and bake. I think it comes from the fact that the cold weather(and bad colds and flu) always comes around the holidays and I always remember the smells of cookies and pies being made. So, I had a bunch of apples left over from the bobbing for apples and decided to make an apple pie.

Of course it came out delicious! Mike ate like half of it in one sitting!
It came out so well I'm being told I HAVE to make a few for Thanksgiving.
Maybe I will share my recipe with ya some day!

Well I don't have anything else to blog about so I'm done.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
BOO!

Halloween Party

Well, yesterday we had our Halloween party! Everything went as planned and everyone had a great time!
It was a bit frantic at the beginning trying to get everyone's make-up and costumes ready before the Weenee Roast at Uncle Ted's started at 7pm.

So, with only being a few minutes late we all piled into our cars and headed to Ted's house.
Almost the whole family was there. And almost all of us in full costumes. Ted already had the fire big and bright. It wasn't cold at all but it was super hot next to the fire!

We roasted Hot dogs and marshmallows. Aunt Marcia made home made Chili which was awesome! Sam made some Chess Cake(my favorite!). I wish we would have more of these throughout the year!!


Okay, now this picture freaked us out! I was trying to take a picture of Sam and Kim in front of the fire and something weird happened! You can see Sam closest to the cam. And then behind her you can see Kim's body and the light from her cigarette, but what happened to Kim's head?? It's just a dark spot at her neck where her head is supposed to be!! Spooky!

After we ate and had a few laughs we headed back to our house for the party!!

Michael looking not too happy! Mike has been sick all week! Which is so sad since Halloween is his favorite time of the year! But he did manage to have a great time. Him and some friends jammed for quite awhile but he over did it by playing the drums for too long and his foot is pretty swollen and hurting today!

The following posts will be of the food and the costumes of some of the guests. I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I would take. I was just too busy playing hostess and having fun. I also took some videos of the Bobbing for Apples. But it being so dark down here they didn't turn out so well and doubt I will post them.
All in all it was a great time! Everyone had fun and left either with a full stomach or completely drunk!
Can't wait for the next get together!!

Halloween Party- food

This is my kitchen table. I tried to come up with some cool ghoulish ideas for some snack foods for the party and they didn't turn out too bad. Gotta love the coffin shaped box I made for putting my tortilla chips in!

Salted bones and Jar of Boogers. This was simply some big pretzel sticks and a small jar of Cheese Wiz that was tinted with green food coloring to make it look like boogers.

You can barely see it but this was my Skull and Blood Dip. It was Cream cheese that was formed into the shape of a skull and then just had some salsa poured around it. It looked awesome before it was devoured! lol

Bloodshot Eyes. These are just normal Deviled Eggs made with food coloring. After I boiled the eggs I cracked the shells and put red food coloring on it so the outside would have the bloodshot effect. The put some green food coloring in the yolk part to create the iris. Lastly I took a small bit of the yolk mixture and added all the food coloring colors to make a black color for the pupil of the eye. They looked nasty but were delicious!

Okay so this is my Ghoul-ade. It's hard to see black punch, in a black punch bowl and in the dark no less. But this was the biggest hit of the party. All it contained is grape Kool-aid, Orange Kool-aid, Gingerale, Vodka and some ice made in gloves to look like floating dead hands.
When you mix all the liquids it turns into this murky looking swamp water lol. But everyone loved it! I had to make it twice! lol


And lastly(but I forgot to take pictures of) is my cookies! I made these cookies that taste like brownies! I cut them into Halloween shapes and decorated them. They turned out better then I thought they would!
I didn't have much left-overs so I'm guessing everything was good. Now I have a year to come up with some new ideas for next years food.