LIGHTED ELF ORNAMENT

Christmas is coming on so fast again this year...

I remember when I was a kid it just couldn't get here soon enough...

but now I wish we could slow down the time and have it take longer to arrive...

I love everything Christmas!

This year Santa is promising us a snowstorm...hoping it doesn't 

get too bad for people who want to travel somewhere....

I have this cute little elf with the lighted nose to share with you..

isn't he cute?  If you like to crochet this would be a great project

for using up those yarn scraps that you hold onto because you just

know that somewhere along the way you will come across a small

pattern that you can use them for...

she also has patterns for a snowman and a Santa

and much more so you might want to try all of them...

...free pattern here...

http://www.frommmetoyou.com/lighted-elf-ornament-free-pattern/

CHEWY COCONUT BARS

Again...keeping with my love of coconut....

how are these for your Christmas goodies plate?

Wow do they look good...and such simple

ingredients in them too....

....I will be adding these to my list of Christmas recipes...

...recipe here...

http://cookiesandcups.com/chewy-coconut-bars/

POCKET MISTLETOE

I thought this was a really cute little
Christmas craft...
you get the easy printable pattern to trace on
craft foam and cut out...can't get easier than that right!

...pattern here...

http://ourpeacefulplanet.com/2014/12/01/pocket-mistletoe-diy-for-quick-kisses/

WHITE CHOCOLATE TING-A-LINGS

These look so good...

I remember many years ago when everybody was making

pretzels dipped in white chocolate for a Christmas treat...

it was always one of the recipes I used at that time too...

and when I ran out of the pretzels I decided to mix Rice Krispies cereal

into the left-over chocolate...then I dropped it by teaspoon onto a pan

and put it in the refrigerator to set...as it turned out it was one of my

favorites....I made them every Christmas season for many

years...

....and now here are Ting-A-Lings...similar but

some different ingredients...cute name for a recipe too!

...enjoy!

...recipe here...

http://www.lemontreedwelling.com/2013/12/white-chocolate-ting-a-lings.html

MINT CHIP SUGAR COOKIES

It's been pretty snowy and windy here over the past few days...

and more of it in our forecast for this weekend...so it's a good time to

do things around home....like making a delicious macaroni hotdish...(or

casserole to you younger people)...which I made early so all we have

to do is put it in the oven with some cheese on top and supper will be ready...

...another thing I have enjoyed doing today is searching around the

internet to see what's new out there in recipes for Christmas goodies...

every year I find some fantastic ones...

this is my newest find...wow do these look like Christmas huh?!!

..they are so pretty and colorful....

...recipe here...

http://www.littledairyontheprairie.com/mint-chip-sugar-cookies/2/

THE 12 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

I came across this post on a wonderful website a couple weeks

ago and knew right away that I would have to share this on my blog...

...what a fantastic idea...

I will let you go to Julie's site and read more about it but it consists

of  putting two of these cards into 12 envelopes.....

put them all into a gift bag for someone to have and open one envelop

per day starting on December 13th....this would be great for kids or

adults.... (my mustached man will get a set of these and I know he will love it!)

I could go on and on about this but instead I will let you go

over there and check it out...

....you can print these here....

http://happyhomefairy.com/the-12-days-of-christmas-a-celebration-of-the-nativity-free-printables/

SNOWDRIFT BARS

I guess I have to say there were four things that attracted me to

 this recipe....

#1.... They are so beautiful to look at.

#2....  I live in an area where we are already past due for snowdrifts...

there are snowstorms around us right now but we are the lucky

ones who so far have just rain...or are we...the problem with rain

is that unfortunately if the temperature drops below freezing then

we have ice...nobody likes that...I think most people around here

would actually prefer the snowdrifts over icy streets...

#3....  I LOVE coconut!  Anybody who knows me well knows

that....can't get enough of it...

#4....Also....this recipe has ingredients that I actually have on hand

most times...not a bunch of weird things that I would never 

buy because I would probably use them once and never again

and end up throwing the rest away eventually...I try to keep the

recipes that I post on here to ones with pretty simple ingredients...

...so...here it is...are these not beautiful ???

....you can find the recipes for these bars and many many more

here...

http://cookiesandcups.com/snowdrift-bars/

PAPER REINDEER & SLEIGH

This is so cute...I think I say that a lot on here...

but it really is...and so simple to make...

just print, trace, cut and assemble...

great for a table or shelf...

...this comes from a wonderful website so take

some time to look it over while you are there...

(link at bottom of this post)...

I'm sure you will enjoy it!

...printable pattern here...

http://www.ziggityzoom.com/activity/diy-paper-reindeer-sleigh

LOLLIPOP ANGEL

I love making all kinds of Christmas Angels...

most of the paper ones I see are just as beautiful as the

crocheted or sewn ones or however you make them...

such an easy project to work on together with kids too...

and look...you also get a yummy Tootsie Pop....

though I would have a hard time removing it from the

cute little Angel....

...instruction here...

http://craftyjournal.com/lollipop-angel/

TURKEY CORN CHOWDER

Years ago I used to wonder what exactly corn chowder was...

I didn't have recipes for it in my books and of course back then

there was no internet....but there was something about it that really

had me interested....I guess because I always loved corn...especially

cream style corn....but most of all how I loved my mother's scalloped corn

on Thanksgiving and Christmas...I now make that more often than just

on those holidays because both my hubby and I like it so much....

...a few years ago I went searching for a recipe to see what

corn chowder was...it looked pretty easy to make so I tried it...and it

was delicious....it was so creamy and had just the right amount of

corn and potatoes and bacon in it...just perfect...

...but now...as I was looking here and there to get different ideas for

using left-overs I found this recipe for Turkey Corn Chowder...

even when we are invited out for dinner we still make our own

turkey just to have left-overs...and I can freeze some of it for later too....

oh my...can't wait to try it...now we buy 'no salt added' canned

everything so it will be safe for me to eat on my low sodium diet....

see how good this looks.....!

I am thinking this would be just as good with chicken instead of the turkey too...

...get the recipe here...

http://diethood.com/turkey-corn-chowder/

ICE CREAM TACOS

This is such a great idea....

I have eaten ice cream on a waffle before but I never thought

of making them into ice cream tacos!

....what a fun thing to serve company....you could set up a

taco bar with all the add-ons such as sprinkles and fruit or

chocolate chips or nuts or ...a n y t h i n g... that would be yummy

on waffles and ice cream....

oh yeah...don't forget the syrups like strawberry...chocolate..

butterscotch...marshmallow...so many ideas....

I think this would be a wonderful family tradition to have on

holidays too...you could use appropriate kinds of toppings for whatever

holiday you are having them for...

crushed candy canes for Christmas tacos....jelly beans to add to Easter ones...

wow I'm just full of ideas today....

whatever you serve them for or however...I hope you have a fun time...

...check out the directions and ideas here...

http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2016/03/ice-cream-tacos.html

PUMPKIN JOKES BOOKMARKS for THANKSGIVING

Those of you who follow along with my blog probably know that

I love bookmarks...any kind of bookmarks...

I think they can be cute or funny or pretty or just about anything...

I love giving them to kids because maybe they will get them in

the mood to read a book so they can use them....

...so...most holidays I try to find or design new bookmarks to

post on here...I hope lots of you will print these out to share over

the Thanksgiving holiday....they are pretty cute...

...get the printable for these here...

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/pumpkin-jokes-bookmarks

PILGRIM CENTERPIECE

I thought this was really cute when I came across it

while looking at Thanksgiving things....

it is easy to make and can be used on the dinner table

with any kind of food of your choice in it...

it looks really pretty with the vegetable like pictured here....

...there is also a printable for a cute little teepee too...

http://onecharmingparty.com/2012/11/19/pilgrim-centerpiece/

FUNFETTI SHORTBREAD BITES

I have been getting notices that a lot of my blog viewers

are saving a recipe that I posted last year for some

pretty little shortbread cookies...

here is a link for those:
http://www.chewoutloud.com/2014/12/23/3-ingredient-buttery-shortbread-cookies/

...so when I came across these cute shortbread bites... I thought maybe

you would all like to have this one too...

I just love the look of these...how beautiful they would be in

a pretty glass jar to give out as Christmas gifts...

...or you could change the color of the sprinkles to make them

great for any other holiday too...even Halloween...

...you can get the easy recipe here...

http://www.cookingclassy.com/2015/12/funfetti-shortbread-bites/

NUTTER BUTTER CORN POPS

Well....Halloween for this year has passed by already...

now we not only have the time change coming up this

weekend but Thanksgiving will be here soon....

I think this little 'corn' treat

is so cute...

I think they would be fun to make an edible bouquet

out of or even to just lay one on each dinner plate...

It's pretty clever using the fruit roll-ups

hope you all have fun making some of these!

...instructions here...she has other edible Thanksgiving treats too...

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1020421/edible-thanksgiving-crafts-for-kids

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

HALLOWEEN GHOST CHOCOLATE BARK: DIY HALLOWEEN CANDY

Here I am again...so soon...

but I am running kind of late with my Halloween posts

so you will get several of them all at once...

...this is one of the most clever ideas I have seen for Halloween candy

yet...so simple to make and I think the kids would love to help with it...

...these would be so pretty on plates at a Halloween party...enjoy!

...recipe here...

http://blommi.com/halloween-ghost-chocolate-bark-diy-halloween-candy/

CANDY FILLED BALLOON PUMPKINS

Halloween is oh so close now....

if you are still trying to decided what to give as treats to

just about anyone (other than babies and toddlers)...

here is a quick and really cute idea for you...

...some of you probably saw this on your Pinterest recently

as I did but I just thought it was so cute that I wanted to put

it on here for anyone who has not seen it or saw it and forgot to save it...

...it does work best if you have someone to help you that can hold

the balloon open while you put the candy inside...

so fun! ....I would have loved getting one of these when I was

a kid (and even now) too!

...have fun with these...

thank you Debbie for sharing...

...click here for instructions...

http://onelittleproject.com/candy-filled-balloon-pumpkins/

FREEZER MEALS

I have been seeing so many recipes for 'freezer dinners'

around the internet lately and it looked like such a great idea

so I had to make some...

....this is my first attempt at frozen slow cooker meals...

I prepared a few of them a couple of weeks ago and took one out

this morning...it looked great...well frozen in the plastic zipper bag

and even the potatoes still looked as perfect as when I cut them up

and put them in the bag...

( Tip:  if you put up meals for your freezer you probably want to add the

potatoes to the bag last as they will turn color if you do it too long

before freezing)

...here it is...I am loving it already...

I was exhausted the day I did all of this cleaning and chopping but today

I am feeling great about getting supper started at 9:00 in the morning...

we can go about our day and not worry about what to make tonight...

this is what I included in my dinners....the amounts are optional as to

how much you like of each ingredient...

Round steak

Potatoes

Onion

Carrots

Celery

....I put the bag in the microwave and defrosted it for 10 seconds and then put

it in the slow cooker....I then added 1/2 package of dry onion soup to the water

I put in...ohhh it smells so good already...

...shortly before we eat I plan to mix a package of low sodium

beef gravy into it...and some low sodium peas....

...and daa daaaaaa!

...hold on....I'm going to eat now!

ok...it was delicious....mostly healthy...and the only work involved today

was eating it and washing the slow cooker...

I plan to make up bunches of freezer meals now that I see how

wonderful they are....I will make some more with the round steak...

some with chicken (maybe with rice)...some with pork...

my head is racing with ideas...

(of course you can also pour these dinners into a pan and bake in the oven but

I love the convenience of my slow cooker)

I hope you all give this a try...I do mine using pretty simple ingredients because

that's the kind of cook I am...but if you like lots of spices and different flavors of

sauces etc. you can find many, many freezer recipes around the internet...

especially on Pinterest....

...my very first project next is to put macaroni salad ingredients in

a bag and freeze it so I can just take it out and add the mayonnaise...

I have been cooking and freezing macaroni for some time now...

I measure it out to one serving size and put in each bag...it's great and

we cannot see any difference in the taste or texture when we eat it...

enjoy!

FACE PRINTABLES for drawing hair and make-up

When I was in about the 5th grade, we had an art teacher who

let us have one day a week that she set out paper stacks on her

desk in different colors and gave us an hour of class time to do whatever

we wanted to, as long as we created something....

every day that she let us do this throughout the school year I would draw a

paper doll first and then I placed another sheet of white paper over it so I could see

the doll outline through it...then I would design clothing for it...color them...and

head on back to her desk to get another paper to do another style...I loved it so

much that I continued to do it from time to time even as an adult....

I guess this memory from my school days is what instigated me to do my

oof-da kids too (see tab above).....

once you get that main doll outline you can create outfits forever....

I still have many of my off-da kids designs that I have not posted yet...

maybe I will add another one soon....

I remember the teacher looking at me like 'why do you need so many sheets

of paper'???

She finally strolled over to my desk one day, I guess to find out...she seems

very interested and pleased with what I was using them for...her reaction

made my day!

So....my little story here is leading up to this....

these are not my design....again it is a post from

http://krokotak.com/

which is a website I have promoted here on my blog many times...

it is just fantastic...check it out...whether you have kids or

grandchildren or not I guarantee you will love it too...

...you can print these pages and then design and color the clothing, hair and

make-up...so cool...

have lots of fun with these!

...printables here...

http://krokotak.com/2012/11/face-printables-for-drawing-hair-and-make-up/

APPLE PIE SANDWICH

Apple pie what ?????

Who would have thought of doing this...

I sure never have...but there are a lot of recipes I come across that

I have never seen or heard of only to find out that everyone else

knows all about them !

Maybe...just maybe this could be one that others wouldn't have thought

of  either...

at first I thought 'you have to be kidding'....

but after reading the recipe and seeing the picture of the sandwich...

I have to say I kind of have an interest in it...

I mean...would the crispy grilled bread really be that much different

than pie crust ?  It would taste and crunch pretty much the same....

anyway if you decide to give it a try I hope you love it!

...recipe here...

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/apple-pie-sandwiches

FLORAL COLLAGES

What a great idea this is...

you print the picture outlines and then you dress them

up by filling in areas with beautiful flower petals and leaves...

how fun it would be for a school or Sunday school

project...or daycare or just parents enjoying time with

the kids...I can't think of anyone who wouldn't love

doing a project like this one...

...again...I can't say enough about this website...

it's a wonderland for kids and adults who like to create things...

...you can find the printables for this project

and hundreds more here...

http://krokotak.com/2015/07/60211/

JOLEAN'S CHEESE POTATO & SMOKED SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Oh boy does this look good...

I know my husband would absolutely love it...

there's something about the combination of sausage or ring bologna

with potatoes that is just so good...

I am sure any type of sausage would work just fine if you

are on a special type of diet....

.....you can get this recipe and more here...

http://www.food.com/recipe/joleans-cheese-potato-smoked-sausage-casserole-126623

SAVORY PEPPER JACK COOKIES

Now this is really a unique idea...

as she says these are a mix between a cookie, a cracker and a biscuit..

I really like her suggestion of serving them with a bowl of soup...

I'm thinking they would also be great with something like

a nice comforting casserole....

or how about just with a healthy salad....

they look great and I can't wait to try them!

I know my sister loves pepper jack cheese so she would love these for sure!

Haley has wonderful recipes on her blog that are easy and

inexpensive to make...be sure to look around while you are there....

http://www.cheaprecipeblog.com/2016/01/savory-pepper-jack-cookies/

TWO-INGREDIENT BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM BITES

I had to add this one more for today...

I want to get this one on my blog while it's still hot summer

because it makes such a tasty and cute little bite of cold when

you are feeling miserably hot...

but....these are great any other time too even in the winter...

...they are just 2 ingredients and so quick and easy to make...

look how pretty they are!

...recipe here..

http://thebakermama.com/recipes/two-ingredient-banana-chocolate-chip-ice-cream-bites/

RUFFLES MARSHMALLOW KRISPIE TREATS

I thought this was an interesting idea for krispie bars...

instead of using the cereal she makes them with crushed

Ruffles potato chips...giving you that sweet and salty combination...

sounds so good!

but....just a reminder to those of you that have to watch your

sodium intake, I would suggest using the low-sodium Ruffles...

they have less per serving and they still have a touch

of salty taste...I bet they would work fine in this recipe too...

...recipe here...

http://www.laurenslatest.com/ruffles-marshmallow-krispie-treats/

CINNAMON SUGAR BISCUITS

How great are quick and easy recipes....I love this kind...

all you have to do is keep refrigerator biscuits on hand and you can

make these in a hurry anytime you need them...

they bring back memories of the sugar and cinnamon toast

we had so much while growing up...

Yum!

...recipe here...

http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2012/11/cinnamon-sugar-biscuits/

PINEAPPLE PUDDING DIP

Hello all,

I apologize for being away from my blog for so long.  I won't go into details but it has been due to some major health issues that have hit my life over the past few months. But just letting you know that I am still here and to say thank you for the emails showing concern for my being away for so long, also thank you to my blog viewers who have continue to check back here on a regular basis.  It's good to know that people like what I do that much and also to know people I have never met really do care.

I can't say I will be posting every day or even every week but I will try to get something on here as often as I can. 

I have many, many wonderful recipes and crafts put aside to share with all of you and I thought I would start out with something easy to make and fun to serve....this recipe caught my attention months ago and I still have not tried it but plan to very soon....what a great dip to serve at a party or even just for your family on a TV or movie night...enjoy!

...this recipes has just 4 ingredients....

you can get it here....

http://mandysrecipeboxblog.com/pineapple-pudding-dip/

     

POTATO CHIP CLUSTERS RECIPE

These look really good...I have not tried them yet but

after looking at the nutritional facts I definitely will be

making them...

_________________________________________________________________________________

Nutritional Facts

1 serving (1 each) equals 33 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 19 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, trace protein.

_________________________________________________________________________________

I will probably leave out the pecans since I am not

a fan of those but I know a lot of people who love them...

...this is a pretty little treat and very easy to make too...

that sweet and salty taste is so great....

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/potato-chip-clusters

DUMP and BAKE MEATBALL CASSEROLE

Off-da!

...doesn't this look good!

....I picture moms & dads coming home after a long day at work

and trying to think of something quick and easy to make for their

kids for supper...this would be perfect...

....the great part is that you don't have to make the meatballs

from scratch...just use the frozen kind...

toss everything together and put it in the oven...

and it's done!

...you can find this recipe here...she has other quick and easy ones too...

http://www.theseasonedmom.com/dump-and-bake-meatball-casserole/

COCONUT CREAM BARS

I have not made these yet so I can only dream about how

delicious they must be...I look at the picture and my great love

of chocolate covered coconut jumps out at me again...

I know I couldn't eat much of them if I did make them...

but hey....I could have a little taste and then share the rest of them

with someone I like a lot right?

...of course I will have to keep a container of them in the

freezer for my hubby...but then...I know...I still could not leave them

alone...so what is a coconut lover to do?

...the great part of this recipe is that it only takes 4 ingredients...

and the other wonderful part is that they are so easy to make...

they would be done and ready to eat in no time at all...

...recipe here...

http://backforseconds.com/4-ingredient-coconut-cream-bars/

GOOGLY EYE RINGS

This is just a little something that I have had in my

'waiting to post' items...

I love these...everyone could have fun making

and wearing them...or how about giving them out in

cards for Valentine's Day...

...there is also a link to an idea for  putting eyes

on objects around your town...cute idea too...be sure

to check that out...

...the craft stores now have so many different

shapes and colors of googly eyes...lots of sizes too...

....here's lookin at ya!

...simple instructions here...

http://www.makeandtakes.com/get-silly-with-googly-eye-rings

BAKED POTATOES with BROCCOLI CHEESE SAUCE

Christmas has come and gone already and the

decorations are all packed away until next year..

I always get a little depressed when we do that

even though I know it has to be done...there's just something

about those beautiful items around the house.....

....and now it's time to go back to healthy eating too...

another thing that has to be done!

I'm not so sure how healthy this recipe is because I do

know most cheeses have a lot of salt...but if you eat it

in moderation I figure it's okay just now and then....

...look how tempting this baked potato looks...

I also have just recently found love of broccoli after

avoiding it all those years before...suddenly it's become

a new favorite...it has to be delicious in this cheese sauce...

...this is a very easy recipe to put together...

instruction here...enjoy!

http://eat-to-death.blogspot.com/2015/03/baked-potatoes-with-broccoli-cheese.html