Fast and Fabulous Food Friday!

It's finally Friday! Woohoo! I thought the work day today would NEVER end!!! Know what I plan on doing this weekend? NOTHING. NADA. ZIP. ZILCH. ZERO. Well, o.k., that's my plan after all the usual weekly household chores get done!

Today I am sharing a simple and very easy cookie recipe. Y'all have probably seen these before but it's so simple and good, it's worth sharing again. There are several names for this cookie, but it's official name is Peanut Butter Delights. I've heard these called Preacher Cookies (don't ask me why), and one of the funnier names I've heard them called is Cow Patties! Take a look and see if you can figure out how this name came about:



Doesn't that look like a nasty old cow patty???!!! That is so funny to me! Now, I've never tasted a cow patty, but I can pretty much guarantee you that these cookies taste so much better than a cow patty would, even if they do kind of look like one!



Peanut Butter Delights

1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in saucepan. Add sugar, milk, and cocoa. Blend well. Bring mixture to a hard boil, let boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Spoon onto wax paper or pour into greased pan. Let cool.

I make these quite often. The "boys" enjoy them and they are quick and easy.

Well, that's gonna do it for me today. Don't be alarmed if you don't hear from me for a few days. I'm just gonna chill and take it easy this weekend! Oh, and if you haven't already done so, be sure to go to my previous post and sign up for my giveaway! Enjoy your weekend!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Thankful Thursday ~ How about a giveaway??!!

I started this blog in early December 2009 with no idea at all what I was doing or if anybody would even bother to read it! Here I am, almost five months later, with over 200 followers!! How awesome is that?? I never thought I'd enjoy blogging as much as I do. If I can't get on here daily and catch up on what everybody is creating and doing, I am just lost! I guess I'm addicted ~ "Hi, my name is Donna and I'm a blogaholic!" And that's a good thing!! I am so thankful for all the new friends I've made that I would have never known if I hadn't ventured into blogland five months ago! Thank you all for your support and for actually caring about my so called crafting abilities and dollar store makeovers! Y'all make a girl feel good!!

So, since I've reached 200 followers, I thought I'd do a little giveaway. This is open to all my followers, no matter where you live. If you aren't a follower, jump on board. Leave me a comment on this post only telling me you want to be entered. If you have a blog, I'd appreciate it if you would post it on your blog, but this is not a requirement. If you don't have a blog, please be sure and leave me an e-mail address so that if you are the winner, I'll have a way to get in touch with you. I will pick a winner on Sunday, May 9th. Here's what's up for grabs:



A hand stitched (by me!) piece that reads "kindness matters", framed in a distressed frame.


One of my original prim sheep. I call him Anthony, but you can certainly rename him if he comes to live at your house!


A wonderful jar candle from Candleberry. This one is Wild Blackberries. These are the most awesome smelling candles and tarts I've ever used. They smell good enough to eat!


And last but not least, a set of shower gel and body lotion from Bath and Body Works in Orange Sapphire scent. This is one of their newer scents and I like it because it's not overpoweringly strong.


Well, that's it for me today. I hope everyone can find something to be thankful for this Thursday!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Tasty Tuesday!

Boy, has it been cold and rainy here in Virginia these past few days! Where did Spring go? I had to have hubby turn me some heat back on this evening. I freeze at work so I'll be darned if I'm gonna freeze at home too!! The good news is that the temps are supposed to warm up again by the weekend, although at last check, they are still calling for some rain as well. That's fine as long as it's not cold!

In light of this cold and nasty weather we are having, and because a couple of you have asked me for this recipe, I am gonna share my Cheddar Cheese Baked Potato Soup recipe for today's Tasty Tuesday. This is so simple and so good! It's great for rainy days when your body is just begging you for some good old comfort food!



Cheddar Cheese Baked Potato Soup

3-4 medium to large sized potatoes
2 cans (10 oz) condensed Cheddar Cheese soup
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (you can use low sodium to help cut down on the salt if you desire)
1 pkg real bacon pieces
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
sour cream (optional)
chopped green onion (optional)

Rinse and dry potatoes. Pierce each potato several times with a fork. Microwave for about 10 minutes on high or until potatoes are done. Set aside to cool.

Combine soup, chicken broth, bacon pieces, and spices in large pot. Simmer on medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each one into bite sized pieces. I leave the skins on mine, but you don't have to if you don't like them. Add potato pieces to your pot and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream and onion if desired.

I usually serve this soup with some yeast rolls. These are our favorites:



I highly recommend these if you haven't tried them. They can be found in the frozen bread section at the grocery store. They are so soft and almost melt in your mouth!

Well, that's gonna do it for me today. I've got to get off of here and finish up one of the things I'm working on for my giveaway. Come back tomorrow to check it out!

Till next time. . .

Hugs,

Makeover Monday!

Good Monday morning everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I sure did what with celebrating my first wedding anniversary with my wonderful husband and then my birthday yesterday! But now it's back to the grind and I'm getting ready to head out the door for another long work week!

Before I head out to get this week started, I wanted to share my latest Dollar Tree makeover. Actually, one of the pieces for this makeover came from a local pottery store but since it only cost me ninety-nine cents, I guess it could have come from the Dollar Tree too! I love cloches, and have seen several bloggers that make them from the most amazing things, things that you wouldn't ordinarily think of using for one. Well, I didn't make one, but I was lucky enough to find one at a favorite local pottery store. I couldn't pass it up since it was less than a dollar! So I snatched that bad boy up and it sat in my craft room for weeks because I didn't have anything to display it on. Then inspiration hit when I was standing in the Dollar Tree looking at candle supplies. I picked up a glass candlestick and a glass candle plate. I was so excited when I got home and put them all together, but I didn't like the fact that it was all glass so I decided to change that! Here's what I started with:



Eh, o.k. I guess, but I like color so I decided the plate and candlestick needed to be painted. And since I'm a HUGE fan of black, that's what I went with. After they dried, I glued the two pieces together with some Liquid Nails adhesive and voila, a beautiful base was born for my cloche. And one of my dearest friends got me a Willow Tree friendship figurine for my birthday, so that is what I put under my cloche. Here's the finished product:





I love the way it turned out and for $3 and some glue, you can't beat the price!

I'm feverishly working on some things for my giveaway and hope to be able to share all that with y'all on Wednesday.

Well, that's all I have for now. Gotta get off here and get out the door! I'm late as usual!!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

My Birthday Present!

Here's what my sweet hubby made me for my birthday:



Isn't it awesome??!! We were "window shopping" in a local primitive shop a while back and saw a piece that looked really similar. I commented on how much I liked it but they were asking $60 for it and I remember telling hubby that I bet he could make one that looked even better than that one did and for a whole lot less dollars too! He said something to the effect that he might could make it but he doubted it. I didn't think anything more about it. But obviously, he did and this sweet man surprised me with it this morning! He left it up to me to do the writing on the sign because he said he didn't know what I would want to put on it and his writing skills are worse than mine! He is too funny! I love it and I made him sign and date it on the bottom. I will treasure it always!

I had a really nice birthday. I made a pot of cheesy baked potato soup, some yeast rolls and a chocolate mayonnaise cake yesterday with a powdered sugar glaze that we all enjoyed today. We just spent the day here at the house chilling out. Hubby's Dad was readmitted to the hospital yesterday so if y'all would keep him in your prayers, we would really appreciate it. He has fluid built up on his lungs and his breathing has been labored. Hubby offered to take me to dinner but I knew that he was really worried about his Dad so I didn't want to go anywhere in case we needed to get to the hospital quickly.

I am working on my giveaway and hope to have it ready to show you this week. I also have another Dollar Tree makeover that I will share with y'all tomorrow as well as a simple but yummy cookie recipe to share this week. I sound like a t.v. show: "All this and much more, so please stay tuned!" LOL!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Happiness is. . .

. . . being married to your best friend! Hubby and I are celebrating our one year wedding anniversary today. God has truly blessed me with this wonderful man's love. He saves me everyday!



Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Thursday's Tip of the Day

Hi everybody! I hope everyone had a great Thursday. Mine went by pretty quickly so that is a good thing!

For today's tip, I'm going to share a couple of uses for an appliance that we probably all use almost daily ~ the microwave!



~ Refresh stale potato chips, crackers or other snacks of this type by putting a plateful of them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Then let them stand for about a minute to crisp up. This also works for stale cereal.

~ If you are a stamp collector, or like me, have a friend who lives in another country and sends you letters with the coolest looking stamps on them, here's a tip to get that stamp off the envelope without tearing it up. Place a few drops of water on the stamp and then just heat the entire envelope in the microwave for about 20 seconds. The stamp will come right off, leaving you with a cool souvenir that you can treasure forever!

Well, that's about it for me today. I'm pooped! I'm gonna try to catch up on some of my blog reading (there's just not enough hours in the day!), watch Survivor (yes, I said it!), pick up the house a bit, and hit the sack! Tomorrow is Friday (woohoo) and I am hoping to have a nice, relaxing weekend with my hubby. We will see how that goes!!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Whatcha Working on Wednesday

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Wednesday. Mine was good. The work week is now more than half way over! Woohoo!! This is gonna be a short, but sweet post cause I am tuckered out!

In all the years I have been crocheting, I have never made a dish cloth. Can you believe that?? So I decided I wanted to give it a try. And here is what I have accomplished so far:



I have also started a blue one in a granny square pattern. Now, I know these probably aren't really done the correct way since I'm not using any patterns and probably aren't making them the right size, but since they are just gonna be for my personal use, I don't think it really matters, do you? I think the reason that I haven't tried these before now is because I have never worked with cotton yarn or thread and the crochet needle is much smaller than what I normally use. But I am having fun with these. They work up quickly and I like the way they look!

I am also working on an afghan for my Mom for Mother's Day. She doesn't know anything about it, but she really loved the one I did for my Valentine's Day giveaway so since the one I'm making her is going to look just like that one, I think she will be pleased. Here's a pic of what that one looked like in case you've forgotten or haven't ever seen it:



Hubby and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary this Saturday. Then we celebrate my birthday on Sunday. He has been busy making me something to commemorate both occasions in the basement all week, but he won't tell me what it is. I'll be sure to share pics when I get it! I don't have a clue what I am going to get him. Probably tools or something from Lowe's since that is his favorite store in the world!

Well, that's all I have for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Tasty Tuesday & 202 Followers!!

Hey everybody! Hope y'all had a great Tuesday. Mine was good. Nothing exciting, but not as long or as frustrating as Monday was for me! Whew! I thought Monday would never end!! I am so psyched that I am now at 202 followers!! There will definitely be a giveaway in the near future, just as soon as I figure out what to give away!

For today's Tasty Tuesday, I'm sharing a tried and true recipe for baked beans. Now this recipe is a snap to throw together, but it does take a while to cook. But trust me, it is soooo worth it!! These are some of the best baked beans I've ever tasted. I cook mine in a pottery style bean pot like you see in the picture, but you can do it in a regular pot as long as you have a lid that fits the pot.



Rocky Mountain Baked Beans

2 cans pork and beans (1 lb 13 oz size)
1-2 medium sized onions, cut into big chunks and seperated
1-2 large sized green peppers, cut into big chunks
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

Stir all the above ingredients together and then add:

1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and pour into your pot. Bake, covered, at 325 degrees for 3 hours, stirring twice. Uncover the last 30 minutes.


I don't usually like recipes that take this long to cook, but like I said, these are fantastic and well worth the time it takes to make them. I usually make these on the weekend and they can be made the day before you need them and then reheated before serving. They are great for cookouts!

Well, that's it for me. I've got to get off here and come up with something awesome to give away to show all my followers just how much y'all mean to me!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Makeover Monday!

Good Monday morning everyone! For today's makeover, I was surfing some blogs a while back and came across one (I thought I saved it, but now I can't find it) that offered the readers a $5 challenge. The idea was to take items totalling no more than $5 in value and make them over. Needless to say, there were many cute ideas but this one really caught my eye. So I decided to make my own version. I went to the Dollar Tree and purchased a spool of ribbon and three silver serving trays.



I forgot to take a pic of the ribbon ~ sorry! Anyway, I had some antique white spray paint left over from a previous project, so I just painted my trays, used my trusty black paint pen to write on them and then cut a piece of my ribbon long enough to accommodate all three of my trays. I then cut another piece of the ribbon and tied it into a bow and just tacked it to the top of my display. I attached my trays to my ribbon with some glue and a bit of duct tape! That stuff is awesome! Here's what the finished project looks like:



I believe that the lady who did hers on the blog, didn't write on them or put them on a piece of ribbon. If I remember correctly, she used three different shapes and just painted them and hung them on the wall as art pieces. I decided to write on mine "Forever and a Day. . ." because I plan to hang them in my bedroom and my hubby always says he will love me forever and a day. Sweet, huh? Anyway, I love how this turned out and it was so easy to do and fun too! The possibilities are endless as to what you could write on them and the colors you could use.

Well, I'm on my way out the door to work so I've got to run. But I wanted to say that I just noticed that I have almost reached 200 followers! How cool is that!! I am amazed that anyone even reads my ramblings, much less wants to sign on to follow! Y'all are awesome and there will probably be a giveaway in the near future if I do make it to 200 followers! We will see!! I hope everyone has a great Monday!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

What a Wild Week!!

Hi all! Sorry I've not blogged in over a week. It's been a wild one. Last weekend was spent with my brothers who were in visiting from Oklahoma. We had a great time at our birthday cookout on Saturday. I didn't get any pictures because the battery died in my camera. I was so mad!! Next time, I'll know to double check, huh?

I took my son to yet another doctor due to his spells. He is back to having them just about every day. I convinced them to put him on a low dose anxiety medication to see if that will help. I'm at my wits end here. Y'all keep us in your prayers please! We celebrated his 17th birthday this past Tuesday. It doesn't seem possible that my baby is almost grown up! Time really does fly by.

I want to share a couple of pictures of some things that hubby has been making me. If you remember, a while back I shared our bathroom makeover that we did. We made it primitive style and with that in mind, hubby decided we needed a new toilet paper holder to go with our primitive theme. So he made me this awesome outhouse toilet paper holder:



I just love it! And the best part is, I can store up to four rolls of toilet paper behind the half moon door:



He got the idea from a picture of something similar he saw in a magazine. I think he did a fanstatic job on it and he has orders for two more! He says maybe this should be our retirement plan ~ make and sell crafts! He's so cute!

He is really into making ladders right now, too, and he made me this little one that I adorned with some twinkle lights and a pip berry garland with little metal stars:



He does such a great job on his wood working and I am so proud of him! This man can make anything!

Work is going o.k., I guess. I am still employed for which I am very thankful! They have me learning some new things so it's been kind of stressful but I am hanging in there!

Well, gotta run for now. Hubby and I are off for our weekly Sunday drive (gosh, we are so old!!) and I think we are going to visit a couple of flea markets as well. I hope everyone has had a great weekend! I promise not to be such a blogging slacker this week. I've got a cute dollar store makeover to share with you all as well as an awesome baked bean recipe that I made for last week's cookout. And I'm working on some new crochet items that I'm gonna share with y'all as well. So be sure to check back in this week and I'll try not to bore you too bad!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Fabulous Food Friday!

Happy Friday y'all!! For today's recipe, I'm sharing a recipe for an apple cake with caramel glaze. Yummy! It's quick, easy, and delicious! Three of my most important qualities in a recipe! Enjoy!



Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze

3 cups chopped apples (I use Granny Smith)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pan. Mix all ingredients in large bowl and stir well. Pour into bundt pan and bake 1 1/2 hours. Leave in pan to cool for at least 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Caramel Glaze

1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup milk

Bring all ingredients to a boil on stovetop. Pour over cake.

You can also add some chopped walnuts to this recipe if you want. I usually don't because my "boys" don't like it with nuts. It's really good either way!

My brothers should be here sometime this afternoon. I am really excited to see them. I have lots to get done before they arrive, so I'd better get off here and get busy! I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and a fantastic weekend!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Thursday's Tip of the Day!

Hello all. Well, I am home from work early today. I've got a sick kid. The school called me around 9:30 this morning to come and pick him up. He had another seizure like episode. He's o.k. now, but this one was a bad one. He has been really weak and lethargic all day and is sleeping right now. I sure wish the doctors could find out what is causing this. It's really starting to effect his life and not in a good way.

For today's tips, I am focusing on reusing worn out linens and clothing items.

We all have bath towels that have seen better days or at least I know I do. Instead of throwing them out, make dusting "mittens" out of them. Just cut each regular sized towel into four equal sections. Place two of your sections together, stitch around three sides and turn inside out. Viola! A "mitten" that you can stick your hand into and use to kiss those dust bunnies goodbye! Each regular sized towel will make two mittens. And the best part is, you can throw them into the washer when they get grungy. I like to spray my furniture polish on the mitten instead of on my furniture. But that's just me!

Now that spring is here to stay (hopefully!), it's time to store away those winter shoes and boots. To keep them from getting scuffed and dusty during their long summer nap, gather up all those old mismatched socks that the dryer monster didn't eat but that you just can't bear to throw away (come on, admit it, you know I'm speaking the truth here!) and store each shoe or boot in a sock. Now they are ready to be boxed up and stored until you need them again!

I am super excited for this upcoming weekend. I have two younger brothers who both live in Oklahoma and they are coming in for a visit this weekend! I am taking off work tomorrow so that I can spend some extra time with them. I haven't seen either of them since January of 2009. My youngest brother's birthday was April 6th, the kid's birthday is April 13th, and my birthday is April 25th so I am hosting a birthday cookout for all us April birthdays on Saturday. We will be grilling some burgers and hotdogs and I'm fixing my famous homemade baked beans and that yummy dill potato salad recipe that I shared with y'all on Tuesday. We will also be having some chips and dip and of course, birthday cake and ice cream! Yummy!! It should be a lot of fun and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to share with y'all!

Well, that's it for me today. I've got a loaf of banana bread baking in the oven that smells like it's almost done, so I'd better run and check on it. I hope everyone has a fantastic Thursday!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Tasty Tuesday

I hope everyone had a great Tuesday. Mine turned out o.k. We went to court today for the kid's accident. The judge was very lenient and it only cost us $61 which was court fees. The kid has to go to an 8 hour driving improvement class which I will have to pay between $50 and $75 for. He has six months to do this and once he turns in his certificate showing that he has successfully completed this class, the judge will dismiss the ticket and it won't go on his record. Which means that when he is able to get another vehicle, we won't have to pay high risk insurance. Yay! I was very pleased with that. The only thing that upset me was the fact that the woman he hit was there and when the judge asked her if she was hurt she said yes!!! Then the police officer showed the judge pictures of both vehicles after the crash and the judge just laughed and said it didn't appear that her vehicle sustained any damage. She then had to admit that her vehicle was only scratched. I wanted to laugh out loud since it was obvious that the judge didn't believe she was hurt any more than I did. Plus she didn't have any medical records to present as evidence. Some people just amaze me. But all in all, everything went well and we were only there for about an hour.

O.k., now on to Tasty Tuesday. Today I'm sharing a recipe for a mayonnaise based potato salad that is so simple and super delicious.



Dill Potato Salad

8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. dill
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups diced red potatoes cooked (leave skins on)
1/4 cup chopped onion

Mix sour cream, mayo, and seasonings in large bowl. Add potatoes and onions and mix lightly. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

That's it! So quick and easy and yummy! We like this hot but it's really good cold too. I usually make this when we grill out burgers. It makes a great side dish for cookouts.

Well, that's all I've got for today. It's back to work tomorrow for me! I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Until next time. . .

Hugs,

Makeover Monday!

Hi everyone. Sorry I'm a little late in posting today. It's been one of those days. Too many things to do and not enough hours in the day to get them all done! I hope everyone had a great Easter yesterday. We had a quiet one here at my house. I was actually a bit under the weather most of the day with an upset stomach. Not sure what was up with that but I am fine today, thank goodness!

For today's makeover, I am sharing a makeover I did on Saturday to a console table I have had forever. Here's the before:



As you can see, it was a nice enough table ~ if we were still living in the 1980's!! Instead of throwing it out, I decided I would try to salvage it by doing a primtastic makeover. So I went to Lowe's and found a quart of flat black paint in the "oops" bin. I'm not sure why it was in the "oops" bin except that maybe whoever was puchasing it thought they had chosen another finish. Anyway, lucky for me it was marked down from almost $9 to $2.50!! Can't beat that, right?? The kid and I got right to work on it and two coats of my cheapo paint and a little distressing with some sand paper later, this is what we ended up with:



I am pleased with the way it turned out. It is now residing in the dining area of my kitchen. I forgot to take a picture of it after I decorated it. I will do that in the near future.

Today was a very long Monday for me at work! Things are still going o.k. there but everyone is on edge, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It makes for some long, stressful days! I am just thankful that I still have a job. I am off tomorrow since tomorrow is the day the kid goes to court for his accident from a few weeks ago. He is so nervous! Which I guess is only natural and I really hope he has learned a lesson from all this. I will give everyone an update on what happens tomorrow.

I want to thank everyone for the prayers for my father-in-law. Hubby and I appreciate each one of them. He is doing somewhat better. They actually let him go home from the hospital late yesterday afternoon. He's a cantankerous old coot and I think he bullied them into letting him go before he was really ready. LOL!! They were probably glad to see him go, if the truth be told! He doesn't hesitate to let you know what he wants when he wants it! Hubby was off work today and he went up to his Dad's house and spent most of the day with him. He said he did seem to be breathing better, although he has to use his oxygen all the time now. I hope he doesn't end up right back in the hospital. The home health nurse that comes in every day wasn't too happy that they discharged him from the hospital. I guess time will tell.

Well, I'm beat and it's almost time for bed. I hope everyone had a great Monday and I pray that Tuesday treats you all good!

Till next time. . .

Hugs,

Happy Easter!!

Just wanted to wish all my friends in blogland a very blessed Easter!

This past week has been crazy for us. My father-in-law was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday. He suffered a mild heart attack and is battling pneumonia. He was in ICU until Friday and has now been moved to a regular room. When we visited with him on Friday, he seemed to be doing better, but when we went to see him yesterday, his breathing was more labored and he didn't eat any of his dinner. We are going to check on him again later this afternoon. I am really worried about him and would appreciate any and all prayers that y'all could send up for him.

Work is still crazy. The new management team came in on Thursday. They are very nice but I am leary. They gave us a "welcome" letter, stating that they come in wanting to help us out. It also stated that they don't claim to have all the answers, but hope to find solutions to help the clinic run more smoothly and proficiently. They also state that they know some tough decisions will have to be made and they hope that everyone understands this and will work together to make these transitions as smooth as possible. Doesn't sound too promising, does it??

I have some great makeovers and crafts to share with y'all this coming week. Hubby has been busy with his wood crafts and I can't wait to show y'all what he has been busy doing. I've also got a great Apple Cake recipe and a Dill Potato Salad recipe I'm gonna be sharing as well. The kid goes to court on Tuesday for his recent accident so I'll share the outcome of that as well. Lots to look forward to this week so y'all be sure to check back!!

I pray everyone has a blessed and safe Easter!

Till next time. . .

Hugs,