Christmas 2010

Holiday Bright Story Christmas Card

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Black Friday Shopping!

Are you a Black Friday shopper or a Cyber Monday shopper?  I believe most people hit the stores the day after Thanksgiving for the great deals that are out there!  We started Thanksgiving Day by making a few purchases online (Target.com and Amazon.com).  Then Sweet Girl and I met up with my bff Shannon and her son to hit some stores at 4:00am!  Crazy!  The parking lot was SO packed at our first stop (Target), we could barely get in to park, but we did fine.  I did have to run to Wal-Mart to get a few things price matched that Target ran out of, but we hit SO many stores in lightning speed!  PLUS Panera was open for breakfast at 6:00am so we had a nice bite to eat before we hit the big mall!  8 hours of shopping, and we were done by noon!  It was a VERY productive day!  My best deal was a Ralph Lauren button-up shirt for my son.  Reg. $79.00, on sale, an extra percentage off, $20 off coupon, and then add a leftover gift card that I had -- brought it to less than $30!

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Happy Thanksgiving!



Our table is almost set, one casserole is in the oven, pies are done, College Boy is home, people are coming over this afternoon, and it is a beautiful day!  Veggies are being chopped by the Rocket Scientist, house is being cleaned by Sweet Girl, and Little Man is playing the Wii.  We are truly blessed!!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  We truly thank God for all of our blessings this day.

Fall Soccer 2010

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Halloween Cookies!

All things are "spooky crazy" here at our house this weekend!  With 3 different parties to attend and goodies to bring, yesterday was filled with baking, icing and dipping!  Here are a few "treats" that I made.

When at Target the other day, I saw the candy corn kisses and thought I would make cookies with them.  I ended up using this recipe for Candy Corn Kiss Cookies.  They turned out great!!

Next up is the "Witches Hats" cookies, or wizard hats (what is a female wizard?) for my daughter's Harry Potter Book Party, for her class.  She took the Candy Corn Kiss cookies as well.  You can find the directions here for these.  I lucked out at the grocery store -- publix had the fudge stripe cookies B1G1 free! 

Then finally I made these Oreo Cookie Pops.  Just melt your candy melts in the microwave, dip the end of the stick into it and insert it inside the cookie.  Let it harden a bit, then procede with your dipping!

I added a little oil to thin it out.  Once you dip your cookies, lay them on a sheet of waxed paper and decorate with sprinkles.  I did put them in the fridge a bit to harden up the chocolate.  And here you go!

All treats and no tricks!  Happy Halloween!  Or as my youngest will say... 

"Trick or Treat, Wash my Feet, Give me something good to eat!!"

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Boo at the Zoo!

On opening night, our family went to the local Boo at the Zoo event.  We had a great time, and saw many people we knew.  A friend of mine, Michelle, and two of her kids met up with us and we stayed for a few hours.  We looked at the animals, ate some dinner, rode the Haunted Train Ride, walked through the Halloween Horrors Trail and the kids got some candy.  Ryan dressed up as a Ninja and Alivia dressed up as a Nerd.  I asked Alivia for days what she wanted to be, and she pulled this costume together herself.  The only thing we bought were the glasses and the socks!  I thought she did a great job!

The Rocket Scientist dressed up as a demented clown, and started scaring the kids.  He'd say things like, "Hey kids, wanna squeeze my nose???"  They ran.

I couldn't find my annual Cat Ears headband that I wear, so I dug around Alivia's hat box and found this beret.  All I needed was a paint brush and pallette.  I said I was a French Painter.

At the main gate, this woman was dressed up as a witch, and had a real snake for the kids to touch.  Notice Ryan wearing his gloves.  Probably the only way he was going to touch that thing!

There were many sponsors handing out candy, and many booths set up for the younger kids to have fun at.  Here Ryan is holding a Smoke Bubble that was cool.

During the costume contest, Captain Jack would ask the kids their name before they walked across the stage.

Which way did they go????

My friend Lisa told me to go opening night at these types of events, and boy was she right!  The tickets were cheaper, the crowds were not as large, we went a little early and got to park right up front, and had a blast!  We'll definitely be doing this again next year!  Happy Halloween!!



Homemade Applesauce in the Crock Pot

I have been in the mood to make homemade applesauce, ever since Ryan's teacher made it in class for Johnny Appleseed Day a few weeks ago!  She added a box of red hots to the apples, but my kids don't really like cinnamon in their applesauce, so I went by this recipe below.  Have I mentioned how much I love my old Crock Pot?  It is the best device ever!  You can freeze this in freezer bags, or cook it longer and make apple butter to can!  I think I will try that next.

Homemade Applesauce

8 medium-sized Gala apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup water or apple juice

Place all of the apple pieces in a large bowl and stir in sugar and ground cinnamon. Pour water or apple juice into the bottom of a large crockpot (slow cooker) and add the apple mixture. Cover, turn the crockpot setting to Low, and cook for about 8 hours (or on High for 5 hours), stirring occasionally.  Blend until smooth or mash for a more chunky type of sauce.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Makes approximately 4 cups of applesauce.

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