Coming To Town

And it's not Santa.

It's my family and I'm really looking forward to hosting our family Christmas dinner and party this weekend. I've got a lot to do but it seems like I work better under a little pressure.

Busy, busy.

Merry Christmas

Wordless Wednesday

Down Home Fun!

Could we GET anymore excited?!?

I still say,

Merry Christmas!

Tasty Tuesday

Sailor of Little Girl On The Go made this Easy Homemade Fudge loafs for her teachers. It was so easy and quick, I thought I'd do the same for Shelby and Rea's teachers. I found these little tubs at the Dollar Store today, 4 for a $1.00. They were a perfect fit for the fudge.

I wrapped them up really cute.

And here they are all packed and ready for delivery!

Hope there will be some happy teachers.

Thanks, Sailor for the great and tasty idea!

Easy Homemade Fudge
3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons butter
Optional add ins: 1 cup of any of the following-frozen mini marshmallows, chopped nuts, dried fruits, cut up candy bars or cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large microwaveable bowl, combine chips, milk, and butter. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and return to microwave for 30 seconds at a time, until everything is melted. Add any add ins and vanilla and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy. Pour into 1 foil lined 8 by 8 inch dish OR 4 mini loaf pans that have been lightly coated with cooking spray. (If you don't add any thing into your fudge, you might only be able to get 3 loaf pans full.) Later you can easily pop the loaves out of the pans and wrap them in cellophane. Click here to see her's they are really cute and she has a great White Oreo Fudge that also looks yummy.

My Favorite Christmas Cake

Red Velvet Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups oil (Wesson)

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 bottle red food coloring

Mix in order of ingredients.

Bake at 350* for 25 or 30 mins.until it

passes the toothpick or fork test.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

1 8oz. block of cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla

3 or more cups of powdered sugar

1-1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Blend butter and cream cheese until creamy.
Add vanilla and start adding sugar and a drop or two
of milk until you get the right consistency.

Then blend in the nuts and ice completely cooled cake.

I love Red Velvet cake and it's my favorite cake to give at Christmas and Valentine's Day because of it's beautiful red color. I've already made and given away 3. Got about 4 more to go.
Merry Christmas

Small Town Shopping

I went down town Macon, Missouri

just looking around.

This is what I found.

I was excited to see a Ben Franklin

that was still opened for business.

They were finishing up decorating for Christmas. This was the 21st of November. So they were really ahead of the game. They had some awesome trees and decoration.

I was most excited to find a sewing section that had fabric. I really miss having a fabric store in Brunswick. We have to drive to Jacksonville or Savannah to find a fabric store. Our Wal-Mart has done away with the fabric section. I really miss it a lot. Because when I want to sew, I want to sew and I don't want to drive over an hour to find the things that I need. This Ben Franklin was a lot of fun. I bought 3 colors of rick rack and some ribbon for hair bows.

Merry Christmas

True Happiness

“True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service.
“It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men.” President David O. McKay

Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ.” President Thomas S. Monson

Merry Christmas!

Vintage

Or Christmas aggravation!

You choose.

Photo Story Friday

Hays Ten Mile Store

As we were looking for the hunting lodge the first day in Macon, Missouri, we were to make a right here on state road AA. But as we were coming up to the turn I spotted the store across the street. I thought it was so cute and I couldn't wait to check it out.

As Harry and Trav were getting the '4 1 1' on hunting in the club and in the state of Missouri, I went in search of the nearest town and Wal Mart. But not before I stopped to take a few pictures of the store.

I just had to get out and look in the windows. The windows were dirty but I saw all kinds of interesting stuff and a couple of tables and chairs. I just knew that they served a little breakfast or lunch. I couldn't wait to get back when they opened the next day.


I was so excited when I saw trucks and cars up at the store I just knew they were opened for breakfast and I was going to have me some. I parked the truck and grabbed my camera and headed in.

I swing the door open and step inside and to my shock this is what I find!! Sitting in the dark except for the head lamp over the middle of the table was this group of men playing cards. Oh they were friendly enough. I think the laugh was on me.

So I say, "well... who's winning??"

They start laughing again and said "the real question is who's cheating?" One of them offered to let me join them or take over his hand of cards.

I'm like, "No Thank you, I think I'll just look around if that's okay?"

"Yeah, go right ahead."

Then I ask, "Are you open for business?"

"Nope, we just meet up here to play cards. You know just get out of the house and out from under foot of the misses."

I'm now a little embarrassed about barging in on their card party. But I go ahead and ask if I can take a few pictures.

"No problem"

As I'm looking at the stuff on the shelves, I ask if any of it was for sale? They laugh again and tell me that all that's on the selves was empty boxes!

I was very surprised. He said they just put it up there to make it look better and not so empty.

Then the man that owns the store tells me that If I see something that means a whole lot to me and that I just can't live without then he might think about selling it to me.

We could talk about it.

Then see that Christmas tree at the back of this picture?

He says, "you any good at dressing up a Christmas tree?" " If you want something to do you can decorate that one."

I tell them, "No thanks, I'd rather take one down than put one up." They laughed again.

We talked a little bit about the weather and the huntin and what I was doing there.

I told them that I was there to take pictures of them.

They were a real jovial group.

It was quite a fun and entertaining morning.

And I GOT PICTURES to prove it!

My Grand Cherin

Well... let me show you!

Just growing up to fast.

Look how long that hair is getting.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes.

"I got ta what?"

This is one pale faced child.

She got this coloring from her other grandma. No one on my side of the family was ever this blond.

Reagan will be 2 years old February 26. She doesn't talk very much yet, she doesn't have to. Shelby is her mouth piece and does most of the talking for her.

Well, what are big sisters for?

My Grand Cherin continued...

Saturday evening I got to take Shelby to see her first Nutcracker. It was wonderful!! I hope that this is the first of many years to come. Can't wait to take Rea with us next year.

So I have my camera, of course, and I tell Shelby to smile and let me take her picture. This is what I get...

I have no idea where all this posing comes from.

But it drives me crazy.

Um...

But sometimes I can get some cute pictures out of her. She loves her picture taken but really doesn't like to sit still long enough for me to get very many.

When I showed her this picture I asked her what she was doing with her fingers? She tells me she is posing. What???

FINALLY a precious pose.

When I was getting her ready to go that evening she tells me that she is going to be 4 years old in January. I say I know! and Rea will be 2 years old in February. In turn she says, and I quote, "March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. That's the months of the year!" To say the least I was shocked. I mean come on, she's 3 years old! I knew she knew the days of the week. She learned them last year in pre-school. But that was the first I've heard the months. We had to go right then and tell Pop Pop.

He was surprised too and said I guess she really is learning something at school.

I can't wait until Christon shares the picture of the girls sitting on Santa's lap. It is to cute. Shelby and Reagan had on these matching dresses.

I'm sorry yall, I just love being a "gigi" to these little girls.

Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

Yummy and No Bake!

So if you don't bake you can still have wonderful homemade treats. I know you can microwave! Can't you??

So take your Ritz crackers and put you some crunchy (or smooth) peanut butter between two of them and then melt you some chocolate or Almond Bark and dip your little crackers in it and set them on some wax paper and sprinkle something festive on them or drizzle some more chocolate on them for a beautiful presentation.

And if you don't want to take the time to make peanut butter crackers buy the box of mini Ritz bits and just open the box and melt the chocolate and dip them in and let them set up. They are wonderful. I think I like the mini ones better. Just pop them in your mouth. Yummy, yummy!

Gooey Butter Cookies

Katherine over at Smoky Mountain Cafe posted this recipe that she had gotten off of Priscilla at Priscilla's Baking Adventures. I just had to try them! They were so easy and sooooo good!!! I've now made 5 batches for different occasions that I have had this weekend. They are very moist and almost lemony, if that's a word. They are my new favorite.

Gooey Butter Cookies

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 egg

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 yellow cake mix

1/2 c. powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in egg and vanilla. Add cake mix & stir until well blended.Powder sugar your hands well. Roll into 1" or 2" balls and dust balls in powdered sugar. Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets (Siplast and parchment paper work well too) . Bake for 10 minutes. Leave on cookie sheet for 3 minutes or more before removing to cool on wire racks.

I couldn't let it go without trying a Chocolate cake mix in the same recipe. It wasn't as good for me as the yellow cake mix was. Still this recipe is a keeper.

Pop Pop and Pop Corn

To eat pop corn, one must sit on Pop Pop's lap. Every one must share the same bowl. I popped 3 different bags that afternoon. These girls can put away some pop corn. I can say, that one bag only cooked part way and half of one bowl was spilt on the rug but other than that everyone was pretty full by the time they finished.

Look at Shelby's hand in that bowl. I was pretty disappointed in how these pictures turned out. Harry was the only one that would really look at me. (I was in the way of them watching 'Curious George'.) I hated the lighting and they were blurry. I used my little camera.

I cracked up when I saw Harry try and get a handful, almost an impossible task.

Very nice of Reagan to try and feed him and finally Shelby did look at me and smile. She's about to our grow Pop Pop's lap.

He loves these moments and they love him!

Mary Did You Know?

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy will

one day walk on water?

Did you know

That your baby boy will

save our sons and daughters?

Did you know

That your baby boy has

come to make you new?

This child that you've delivered

Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy

will give sight to a blind man?

Did you know

That your baby boy will

calm a storm with his hand?

Did you know

That your baby boy has

walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little boy

Youve kissed the face of god.

Mary, did you know?

The blind will see

The deaf will hear

And the dead will live again

The lame will leap

The dumb will speak

The praises of the lamb

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy is

lord of all creation?

Did you know

That your baby boy will

one day rules the nations?

Did you know

That your baby boy is

heavens perfect lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding

Is the great I am.

by Mark Lowry

(From the first time I heard this I loved it,

no matter who sings it, it's one of my favorite Christmas songs.)

This Weekend

The City Christmas Parade


The Nutcracker Ballet

The First Presidency's

Christmas Devotional

And throw in a wedding, a funeral, a trip to Sam's Club and teach my usual Sunday School Class!

And Wa La! You've got a full weekend!!