Happy Birthday to my Daddy!

Happy Birthday Dad!

We love you!

PS. Go Dogs!

Favorite Posts of 2010

Well 2010 is almost over! Lots of blog posts in 2010 and hopefully even more in 2011! 


Here's a few of my favorite posts from 2010......... 
(in no particular order)
1. Mamarazzi Defined 
2. Angel Choir Boy
3. The Little Moments in Life
4. His Granddad Lowers his Blood Pressure
5. I was Made for This
6. Blogging
7. Laughter
8. Making the Best of It
9. Another Season Comes to an End
10. Momma's Helper


Did you have a favorite?? 

Wordless Wednesday: Watching It Snow

Noah watching it snow on Christmas Day, his first ever "White Christmas!" 

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms and Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Christmas Recap

I hope you all had a great Christmas! Even though I was having problems with my eye, I enjoyed the time spent with my family. The White Christmas was fun and we ended up spending an extra day at my parents house because of it.


Noah's big gift from Santa was a TV and DVD player for his room. He wasn't too excited about it on Christmas mainly because I don't think he understand that it was his. When he finally saw it set up in his room at home, on his new TV stand, he let out a squeal that I am positive they heard in the next city. He has really been enjoying sitting in his bean bag chair in his room watching videos the past few days. 


Noah wasn't the only one who was spoiled for Christmas. I received a Silhouette machine (thanks Mom and Dad!) and can't wait to start creating things with it!! In my stocking, Santa put a custom made "You were Made for this Necklace" made by the girls at R House Couture. It's beautiful and so meaningful to me.


Here are just a few pics from Christmas 2010.

Noah's Loot from Santa

Coming in the living room to see what Santa brought

 Checking it all out

 My brother getting into playing Noah's guitar

  Daddy helping Noah open a present

My Mom so excited about a movie Santa put in her stocking

(It's an old classic - The House without a Christmas Tree.)

Back at home enjoying his new TV and DVD player

A White Christmas!

I have lived in the South my entire life and have never experienced a "White Christmas." I've always wanted to though, so much so that experiencing a White Christmas is number 26 on my bucket list.


Number 26 is now accomplished and gets a big huge check mark next to it because today it SNOWED!!! We haven't had a White Christmas in South Carolina since 196 and there were only 3 observances of a White Christmas ever in South Carolina so this has definitely made the record books and been fun to talk about.


There's not a lot of snow, maybe an inch or so. According to local media, one inch of snowfall on the ground constitutes a "White Christmas." All along, I've said as long as there was enough snow for me to build a baby snowman then in my eyes it counted! 


And here's my baby snowman.....

Merry Christmas!! 

You Were Made for This Ornament

Click here to find out the story behind "You were Made for This." 

Simple and Fast Way to Display Christmas Cards

I was looking for a simple and easy way to display Christmas cards. In the past I have set them on the mantel, but my Christmas mantel this year and I want to see it and wouldn't be able to do that if I put a bunch of cards up there. So then I thought of the bookshelf and came up with this.....

Took less than 5 minutes. I simply taped some grosgrain ribbon on the bookshelf and used clothespins to hang the cards. Since taking the picture, I've added more ribbon and more cards. That's what I love about it - as your collection of cards grows, just add more ribbon and more clothespins! This would look great on a blank wall too!

Note to self: Straighten the books before you take a picture of the bookshelf next time. ;)

Linking up to the following link parties:

Making Monday Marvelous @ C.R.A.F.T.

Craft-O-Maniac

Making the World Cuter Mondays

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts 

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Feature yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Get Your Craft On

Show Me What Ya Got

Wordless Wednesday: Noah and Paisley by the Tree

Noah was in such a great mood that day! He just let me taking a zillion pics of him and Paisley by the tree!


For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms and Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree

I am adoring our Christmas tree this year. Noah reminds me to turn the lights on every morning when we go into the living room to wait for the school bus. I turn them off after he leaves but turn them back on before he gets home. Sneaky, eh?


Once again our tree is a hodge podge, eclectic mix of ornaments but the thing I love most is that almost every single ornament on the tree has meaning behind it. It was bought for a special reason, given to us by a loved one, created by someone we love, or is on there to commemorate an event in our lives.


Here's close ups of just a few of my favorite ornaments..... 

I added red sparkly balls through out the tree. I like the consistency they add to the tree since it is a mix of different colors and types of ornaments. 

I opted to not use our angel this year. It just didn't look right but obviously it needed some sort of topper and when I found this red sparkly star I knew it would be the perfect topper. 

Love it!

Quote of the Week: Christmas State of Mind

"Christmas is not just a date. 

It is a state of mind." 

~ Mary Ellen Chase

Easy Peasy Candy Cane Fudge

This is probably one of the easiest fudge recipes ever. I have been making it for the past few years and people always love it and request the recipe and then are shocked at how simple it is! I promise if you give it a try, you won't be disappointed. 


What You Need:
1 bag of white chocolate chips
1 container of whipped white/vanilla icing
1-2 TBSP mint extract (depending on how minty you like things)
1 tsp shortening
Red Food Coloring
About 12 mini candy canes crushed or 4-6 regular sized 

How to Make It:
1. Over medium heat begin to melt the white chocolate chips stirring continually. As they begin to melt, add in the entire container of frosting, the shortening, and the mint extract. Continue stirring until it's all melted and combined. 
2. Spray a dish with cooking spray and pour the fudge in the dish. Put a couple of drops of the red food coloring in different spots randomly and then use a knife to pull the red food coloring across the white fudge to create a swirly look. 
3. Put your candy canes in a ziploc bag and crush them up. (I give this job to Noah sometimes and let him beat them with a wooden spoon. He's the best candy cane crusher I know!) Pour the crushed candy canes on top of the fudge, pop it in the fridge for a few hours and let it set. 


Then you are ready to cut it up and enjoy!!

Linking up to the following link parties:

Making Monday Marvelous @ C.R.A.F.T.

Craft-O-Maniac

Making the World Cuter Mondays

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts 

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Feature yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Get Your Craft On

Show Me What Ya Got

Christmas in the Kitchen

So, I had to bring a little Christmas into the kitchen. I adore my built in hutch and it just seemed like the perfect place to swap out the traditional decor and add a little bit of festive decor for the holiday season. Aside from one or two things I made, I just worked with things I already had and kept it small. I do have a few plans for little additions for next year. 

Here's how the hutch is normally decorated......

And here's how it looks for Christmas......

I swapped my "S" plate out for this snowflake plate...

It's just a dollar store plate I spray painted blue and glued on a glittery snowflake ornament.

I added my ribbon loopy tree to the hutch. Love that little tree. It's sitting on a little silver tray from the dollar store that I spray painted blue.

I have an ever growing collection of Christmas salt and pepper shakers that I added to the hutch. 

 I set this little salt and pepper set and on the stove.....

 I just love that they sit in the little sleigh.

Last but not least, I put my favorite salt and pepper shakers in the napkin holder on the table. Adorable!

And that's the little bit of Christmas in the kitchen!

Linking up to the following link parties:

Making Monday Marvelous @ C.R.A.F.T.

Craft-O-Maniac

Making the World Cuter Mondays

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts 

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Feature yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Get Your Craft On

Show Me What Ya Got

Christmas Mantel

I thought I'd share a few pictures of my Christmas mantel.

The mantel

Close up of the Left side of the Mantel which features a red glitter tree, custom Christmas subway art, a Santa's belly candle holder, and a "present topiary." 

Close up of the present topiary which is just three different boxes I bought at the Dollar Store. They are printed nesting boxes and came together as a set. I covered them with scrapbooking paper, set them on top of one another, and tied a bow. So simple but cute.

Close up of the red glitter tree. A green glitter tree is at the other end of the mantel.

I made them following a tutorial at Eighteen25.

Close up of the Santa's belly candle holder

I made it by spray painting a candle holder red and just gluing on black ribbon and a blingy faux belt buckle from the craft store.

 A close up of the right side of the mantel

See that green bucket with the candy canes in it there? That was Noah's contribution to the mantel. He bought the candy canes at the school store and wanted something to put them in. I bought the bucket thinking we'd sit it on a side table. He insisted it go on the mantel. How could I resist his cuteness?

Wordless Wednesday: Watching Christmas Movies

Noah and Paisley all cozy on the couch watching Polar Express. 

Notice that Paisley is covered with a blanket too. Noah always tells me to cover her up so she doesn't get cold. So sweet!

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes for Moms and Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Mississippi Girl Chicken Enchiladas

I posted that I was making these on Facebook last week and multiple people asked for the recipe so posting it here seemed like the easiest way to share it. 


As some of you know, I have an ulcer so I can't eat spicy foods or tomato based foods but I LOVE Mexican foods so I had to get creative and come up with some recipes on my own. This recipe below was made from about 3-4 different recipes plus trial and error. It's not figure friendly so I don't make it super often but it is delicious. 


What You'll Need:
Chicken (I use 1 package of the pre-cooked chicken made by Tyson.)
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (I know, sounds weird - trust me!)
1 container of sour cream
1 large onion finely chopped
2 tbsp. garlic (I used the minced kind that comes in a jar.)
2 cups of mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup milk
cooking spray
tortillas (I use flour because J prefers that but you could use corn.)


What You'll Do:
1. Spray a skillet liberally with cooking spray and saute the garlic and onions. 
2. Add your chicken to the mixture. (If you are using the Tyson pre-cooked kind, it's already chopped, but I chop it a bit finer before adding it to the skillet.) Turn on low and let it hang out.
3. In another pot, add both cans of mushroom soup on medium heat. Stir in the whole container of sour cream and the milk. (I told you it's not figure friendly.) Let this mixture heat up a little bit. 
4. Now add about 1/4 cup of the sour cream/mushroom soup mixture to the pan with the chicken. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese to the skillet as well and combine until the cheese is melted. 
5. Spray a cooking dish with cooking spray. Take a tortilla and add a couple of spoonfuls of the chicken mixture to each tortilla. (How much you add to each tortilla will depend on the size of your tortillas but you don't want them too full.) Fold each tortilla closed and place in the baking dish seam side down. Continue this with each tortilla until you have used the entire chicken mixture. 
6. Pour all of the sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tortillas. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.


Enjoy!

Church Craft Fair

Saturday was the annual Women's Christmas Brunch and Craft Fair at my church. Once again, my Mom and I each had tables featuring some of our handmade goodies. I sold many of my paper crafts and gifts while Momma was selling her fleece blankies and scarves. We had a good day and a great time. 


I totally forgot about taking pictures until the table was really picked over and messy so I didn't even bother at that point. My best seller was by far the snow bars, which are covered candy bars. I actually increased the price of them this year since the price  of candy bars went up. Next year, I need to make like 50 of them. I did take a picture of a single, lonely candy bar......

Shortly after this picture was taken, he found a home. 


Snowman soup, the mini teacher pails, the chalkboard ornaments, and the pencil packs also sold very well. 


Another successful year. 

Quote of the Week: Room for Jesus

"Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus."

~ Neal A. Maxwell