Randoms!

* We have made an appointment to get Tyler's hair cut. It is this Saturday. I was dreading it, but I'm actually kind of wanting to get it done now. It is just getting a little too scraggly looking. But I'm not having her take off too much. Just enough to straighten it up a bit.

* I am looking forward to Tyler getting his picture with Santa this Friday night!!


* I have been cooking/baking like crazy! I think it is the weather change! I love having something in the oven when it's cold out!

* I can't wait for dinner tonight. I'm making my favorite broccoli and cheese soup (well, lets be honest, I have A LOT of favorites :)

* I can't wait to get our tree up this weekend! I'm also going to put one up outside too! I am also buying some garland from my sister and I'm going to put some of that up too. Other than my nativity scene, I don't have any other inside decorations - the tree is enough for me!

* Work is still steady! The tax money is flowing in!

* I still need to hang up the stuff in Tyler's room. I need to do his shelves still, so I've been putting off hanging his stickers up so I know how the room looks with the shelves first. Maybe one of these days it will be a finished project :)

Nothing else too important going on right now :)

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Homemade Stromboli

I think I've found a new favorite meal= Stromboli! I always loved it at school, but I've never attempted to make it myself.

Here's the recipe I followed (if you can even call it a recipe?!)

Homemade Stromboli

I used pizza dough for the bread. Most of all the recipes I've seen call for frozen bread dough. But I didn't have any of that, and it was cheaper to just make pizza crust. So that's what I did! The recipe I always use is from Better Homes & Gardens. Here's the recipe!


Pizza Dough

Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 degree F to 115 degree F)
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
1. In a small bowl, stir yeast into warm water; let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg, oil, and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add 1-1/4 cups of the flour. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Lightly grease a large bowl; place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel (make sure the towel does not touch the dough). Let dough rise in a warm place until double in size (30 minutes).
4. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Place in a greased 16x12x1-inch baking pan. Cover with damp towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
5. Add desired toppings and bake as directed. Makes 1 (16x12-inch) pizza, 2 (12-inch) pizzas, or 8 (7-inch) pizzas.

I rolled out one of the halves of dough and placed it in a greased cookie sheet. And then layered my meats and cheese like this: Swiss cheese, hard salami, pepperoni.

I then placed the other half of rolled out dough on the top. I sprinkled parsley on top just for decoration.

It was soooo good! I think next time I'm going to try a ham and cheese one!! Yum!

Tyler liked it too :)

Sweet Little Caleb

Caleb gave Matt his Christmas list this weekend. It was just too darn cute not to share!!

I really like the little border collie, and his sweet handwriting.

I'm so thankful to have Caleb in my life!

Thanksgiving Pictures

We invited Kenny over to (my dad's brother). He's a nice guy, and Tyler likes him I think!

Hanging out on the back porch!

Fun with Grandma!

My peanut butter pie. Recipe from the Pioneer Woman .
He's always so interested in my camera!

You can tell who is favorite is! Most of the pictures are of him and Grandpa!

This one was actually taken on Friday (notice the different shirt). This is Tyler's favorite activity at Grandpa and Grandma's house!

My Favorite!!

And how do you all like his shirt?! I love it :)

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I made this cake Sunday night. It was really good!! I starting mixing ingredients and I realized I was out of butter!! So I had to use margarine, but it didn't make a difference- thank goodness!

I spotted the recipe on Pinterest. And it was originally pinned from this site.

I had it in the "cakes" section in my cookbook, but I think I'm going to move it to the "breads, pastries & muffins".. since it was more like a coffee cake.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt- I left out the salt.
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

I let the cake sit for 5-10 minutes after putting the glaze on. It really let the glaze set in.

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap!!

I think I kept putting this off all day yesterday, because it was going to be a lot of typing! lol

This weekend was a long one!! I hope I can remember what all I did!! :)


Wednesday- went to a friends house. Tyler had fun playing with the other kiddos, and I had fun chatting with the moms!

Thursday- Got up early and made my pies (peanut butter and pumpkin). Had lunch at mom and dads, everything was GREAT! We visited for while and then headed home for Tyler's nap.

I decided to lay on the couch for a few minutes and then get up and make my dish to take. Well, I fell asleep and didn't wake up until it was time to go! I don't take naps at all. And I felt like crap for a while after waking up. Needless to say, I didn't make my dumplings .. bummer.. but I did have some leftover Reese treats from Wednesday I brought. The Rowden get together was fun! Tyler found a new little buddy- Peggy. She took him to feed the calves and they read books together. He really got attached to her- I think it was her Grandma appeal :)

Friday- A day off work! I skipped out on the shopping, and I'm so glad I did! I would still be tired probably! I can't remember all the little things I did all day. At some point in the afternoon I went to mom's to visit. Matt went to the Eagles that evening and hung out with some friends he hasn't seen in a while. Tyler and I had a fun time at home alone- he had a fun bath time, and we read a few books before bedtime!

Saturday- Didn't to anything note worthy all day. Mom and I did run to Rolla in the morning. I was able to get my felt for my quiet book, and a few other things for some craft projects. The rest was just a relaxing day off! I did make homemade Stromboli for dinner. I'll post the recipe soon!

Sunday- Went to church. I left Tyler at home, that way i could actually get something out of the sermon. The sermon was great. And after the sermon, I decided to have a birthday party for Jesus with Tyler! I think it would be a great way to really learn the "reason for the season".

That afternoon was pretty much like all weekend. Lots of playing, visiting and enjoying life!

For dinner, I made lasagna. I used both ricotta cheese and cottage cheese. I got the idea from Allison (my sister-in-law). It was really good this way!! And I don't think I'll do it without the ricotta again!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and a great Thanksgiving!!

Snowman Refrigerator!!

I saw this idea on Pinterest!

I just used construction paper for everything. And it only took me a few minutes to get it all done and up! It was really easy!

I made a couple of adjustments though. For one, I made hat for mine. The one on there didn't have a hat, and it just didn't look as neat without it.

Also, the lady online used wrapping paper for her scarf, but I didn't have any wrapping paper that looked like a scarf. I think the red paper turned out good though!!
Of course I couldn't take down all my pictures :) .. I just moved them to the side! :)

Pumpkin Brownies

I made these for Matt's work Thanksgiving dinner. They must of been good, since they were all gone when he brought them home! I am going to have to make them again for ourselves, so I can try them!

Pumpkin Brownies

Recipe From: My Mom

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cup sugar
1 cup veg oil
1 15oz can pumpkin
4 eggs

Mix together all dry ingredients. Add oil, pumpkin, and eggs. Pour into a greased 17 x 11 inch pan or 2 9 x 13 pans. Bake for 15- 30 minutes.

Icing
3 oz cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon milk, 1 stick of margarine softened.
Beat well and frost when brownies are cool.

Sewing Desk

Since I am planning on sewing every chance I get, I wanted to have a spot to sew inside, so I can sew while Tyler plays, instead of doing it in the garage. So I borrowed a table from mom to use. It fits perfectly in front of the bar!
Plenty of room to walk by!

I LOVE this sewing machine!! It works so good. Thanks for letting be borrow it, Mom! :)

I still have my craft desk outside, but I'm using it for card making, scrapbooking, etc.

Some Pictures!

I will update about my weekend later today.. for now I'll post a few pictures of my little turkey :)

I love his smile!
And of course I can't leave Mose out! This is what happens when I leave my plate unattended for 1 second- not even kidding! lol

And the shell that is almost off the plate...yeah.. he almost knocked it all the way off!

Thanksgiving Weekend Plans

Since I am off work as of 4:00 today, and I won't be on a computer until Monday (other than checking my email), I thought I'd go ahead and give you my weekend plans!


Tonight- going to a friends house for the "Black Friday Prep Party" as I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not shopping on Friday, but it's fun to hear about their route and watch the kids play! I am making the Reese Krispies I posted about earlier. Yum!

Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) - Going to my parents house for lunch. I am making a pumpkin pie and a peanut butter pie. That afternoon, we're going Matt's Aunt Peggy's house for dinner. I am making apple dumplings.

Friday- no plans. I am loving that!

Saturday- no plans.

Sunday- no plans. ahh.. what a great weekend it will be :)

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! And enjoy lots of food! :)

Thankful.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Most people (myself included) are most excited about the food, and for some the shopping on Friday. And don't really think about things they're thankful for.

Here are a few that I'm thankful for- each and every single day:

• First one is a no-brainer: Tyler Jay. I can't imagine life without him. Love him to pieces.




• Good health. Our family has been very lucky this year, and everyone is in great health. Which is one of the biggest blessings ever.




• Great family and friends. I couldn't name them all- not enough room in the post, well, that and I would be carpel tunnel! There are so many people that don't have lots of people to love. I'm blessed with many, and I'm so thankful for that.




• My house. Even though I walk about ti being so small, it keeps us dry and warm every night. It's crazy to think that there are families living without a home. I'm so glad we are able to own our cozy little home :)




• A job. In these times you really have to be thankful for your job. I'm thankful that I actually enjoy mine, and that I don't have to commute to work. No complaints from me in that department.




• And so, so, much more. Life is good.

I thought it would be interesting to post what I said I was thankful for last year on here. And as you can tell, I am pretty much thankful for the same things this year. But I still need to remember that I have so much to be thankful for more often!

Here is what I posted last year :)

Just a few of the MANY things I am thankful for this year!!

My healthy baby boy. He is the thing I am most thankful for this year- but I am sure that is obvious! : )

My Family. All of them. Love them all so much!

And then all the basics...good health...families good health...a warm place to sleep...food on the table...clothes on my back..I have so much to be thankful for. I need to remember that, and appreciate it more often, which I don't do near enough!

* I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Pillows!

I got my sewing table set up last night and I wanted to start a project. But it was like 7:00 and too late to start a big project. So I made Tyler a couple of pillows. He seems like he's ready for a pillow in his crib. He has been grabbing the pillows off the couch and laying with them on the floor. So I think he'll like one to use at bedtime!!

I had a bunch of fabric choices at home. I just picked a John Deere one and a Very Hungry Caterpillar print!!

I first practiced on a couple of pieces of scrap fabric. Look at that straight stitch. I'm such an expert- only kidding of course!

I loved this one. I love the little caterpillar on some of the food!!

This one is actually a little bigger than the caterpillar one. I love it. You can't go wrong with John Deere!



Just need to stuff them and close them up and they'll be ready!




I think I'm going to make some placemats this weekend!

Reese Krispies

Here is the recipe for the Reese Krispie treats I made last Friday! I loved them, they turned out great!! I am making them tonight too!! It doesn't get better than peanut butter and chocolate! :)

Reeses Krispies

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Corn Syrup
1 1/3 Creamy Peanut Butter- Don't use natural peanut butter. And I never use off-brands either when cooking/baking. This is one of those things that is better to splurge for the real stuff, in my opinion.
4 1/4 Cup Rice Krispes
1 Pinch of Salt- I left out the salt. I rarely ever add salt to anything I'm baking.
4 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped
1 Handful Chocolate Chips

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter until smooth and evenly combined.Remove from heat.

Quickly add the salt and cereal and stir to combine thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips and stir again. Wait about 1 min and add the candy, quickly folding the mixture together so as to not smash up the candy.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop rounded tablespoons onto the sheet.

Let cool and devour!

Note: I actually doubled the recipe. I am always afraid there won't be enough food, so I like to have too much than too little! If you're not feeding too many people, or just want a small batch, I wouldn't double it. But if you have a crowd at all, you'll want to double it!

Place Mats

I wanted to get Glen and Allison some kind of housewarming gift. And nothing is as good as something homemade (I don't think so anyways :)

So after work one day I made these place mats for them. I thought they turned out really good! I did the John Deere fabric back to back and put interfacing in the middle.
Now that mom's good sewing machine is at my house I'm ready to make all sorts of things!!

Weekend Recap

Friday- I made 20 Christmas cards at the workshop! We had a lot of fun, and I made a new recipe, Reese Treats. I will post the recipe soon! It was so good!

Saturday- I worked on some sewing projects, and did a few random things around the house. I also spent a lot of time outside, it was a good thing, sine the weather was nasty on Sunday!

That evening, Matt and I went to Jeff to have dinner and run to Hobby Lobby. My parents watched Tyler, I think they had a good time :)

We ate at Wendy's! LOL .. I was wanting one of their chicken sandwiches, and I'm not into 'fancy' restaurants, so Wendy's it was! After we ate we headed to Hobby Lobby to get stuff for my quiet book, and a few other projects. But I didn't realize they closed at 8:00, and it was 7:50! So I was disappointed! We had time to walk through, but not time to get stuff for my project. I can't believe they close at 8:00, that's so early! We then went to Walmart to get a few things. it was a fun evening out!


Sunday- We went to church. I had to take Tyler to the nursery early though. He was being a little loud, and I was getting too many looks, so I was outta there! I guess at least I attempted it!

That afternoon, I went to mom's to get her sewing machine! I can't figure mine out, so I have to do all my sewing at her house, so she's trading me hers so she can figure mine out for me! I'm so exciting to be able to sew at home! Mine is new (2yrs ago) and hers is OLD (she got it when she was in high school). It's crazy how the newer stuff isn't as good as the old!

For dinner, I made taco salads! After dinner, we watched the movie Bridesmaids. I would like to know what the critics thought was so funny about that movie. It sure didn't measure up to what I thought it'd be like. Bummer!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

This week--

Monday & Tuesday- no plans!

Wednesday- Going to a friends house to plan out their Black Friday shopping trip. I'm not going shopping on Friday, but it's still fun to let the kids play while the women visit :)

Thursday- Thanksgiving! Going to mom and dad's for lunch, and then to the Rowden's Thanksgiving that evening. I'm making the pies for mom's and some apple dumplings to take to Peggy's (Matt's aunt).

Friday- off work. no plans. probably just relaxing around the house!

Saturday- no plans.

I hope everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving! :)

Randoms & Weekend Plans!

* I can't believe next week is already Thanksgiving! This month will be over before we know it!

* I am on day 5 of no soda. Other than a few minor headaches, I'm doing great! I just feel so much better when I drink water, but it's so darn hard to kick a habit!

* The stories in the news lately have been so tragic. This week there was a boy in St Louis that was found dead. He was only 1 years old, and the mother has been arrested in the death. I hate cases like this. I can't imagine hurting any child, let alone my own.

* I am making a list of everything I'm making for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That way I won't have to stress over what to make, or run to the store at the last minute. So far I am just a few "dinners" away from everything being planned out!

This weekend...

Tonight- I have Christmas Card Workshop! I have been looking forward to it all week! We're all getting pizza for dinner, and I'm going to make some no-bake cookies for dessert. I can't wait!

Saturday- NO plans! Other than a few craft projects I want to finish up on, I'm free all weekend!!

Sunday- Church in the morning, and then no plans!

I love weekends like this!!!

I hope everyone has a great one!!!

Measuring Cup/Spoon Holder

I found this idea on Pinterest. But instead of using real hooks, I used stick-ons, so much easier this way! It was also cheap- only $1 for the hooks at the dollar store!


I put them on the cabinet door where I put all my baking stuff! So they'll be even more convenient!

Fall Supper Items

My FIRST ever homemade cake!!! I used this recipe for the cake, and this one for the frosting! It was super easy, and I don't think I'll be buying cake mixes for a while!





Apple Dumplings for the bazaar!



Now.. my pride and joy (okay, maybe not quite :) .. but I was pretty darn proud of the pie!!

Unbaked picture. I wasn't how the crust would turn out after it baked, so I wanted to make sure to get a before picture!






Here it is! Amazing! Or well, I think so anyways! :)

I think I'll make the same one for Thanksgiving too!

I got the recipe here. And the idea for the stars was found on Tasty Kitchen. I just used my cookie cutter to cut out star shapes! Would work well with other shapes too!!

The recipe for the pie was just a basic apple pie recipe, I got mine here.



All this talk of pies makes me ready for Thanksgiving!! :)

Quiet Book

I have found another thing to make Tyler for Christmas!


... a quiet book!




I thought of this when we were in church Sunday. I thought how that would maybe keep him quiet longer :)


I looked up a few on Pinterest and found some good ones to go off of.


Here are some examples of quiet books. They are a lot like cloth books, only more fun. Since they have velcro, buttons, and other fun stuff in them.



Here is what the outside will look like. Although I am going to use a different pattern.


I love the fish!

I really like the button idea. It would be a good way to use up all my extra buttons!

The penguins are too cute!

Hide and seek chick!

I like the clock idea!

Another cute idea.

Love the garden!

Idea on using snaps too!

Would be good for when he's a little older! Would be a good way to teach him to save money!

The ark idea would be a good one, since we're using it mainly for church and all!!

Of course I'm going to have to have a barn in it! :)

love the mail box!

I am for sure doing the rocket!

I like the tree! Would be neat to do 'different seasons' also!


Fabric scrap matching game!

Will be neat for when he learns to tie shoes!

Mr Potato Head! Awesome!

I am going to do the cover in fabric, and the rest on felt.

I also want to do something with a zipper too!

There are just soooo many good templates online. You can literally look all day for ideas! I just love the things the Internet provides!