Pecan Pralines

This recipe is from All Recipes. I made them tonight and they were super easy to make. My hubby can't stop eating them which is a huge compliment because he doesn't ever eat sweets.

Original recipe makes 20 servingsChange Servings 1 1/2 cupstoasted pecans 1 1/2 cupswhite sugar 3/8 cupbutter 3/4 cupbrown sugar 1/2 cupmilk 1 teaspoonvanilla extract Check AllAdd to Shopping List . Directions 1.Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 2.In large saucepan over medium heat, combine pecans, sugar, butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. 3.Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Let cool completely.

So Doggone Cute!

My sweet crafty hubby made our Chloe dog her very own dog bed!

It's fall Y'all

I have been busy decorating for fall the past couple of days. I also made a pillow that I have been wanting for some time. There is a store in the mall I work at called Lucca Interiors and it had the pillow I wanted so badly....for $100 it could be mine. Forgive me if you have ever spend $100 on a pillow but you are crazy!!!! So I took myself down to the Hobby Lobby and made my own for about $15. Here is the pic of one of the pillows from Outblush. It is only $70

now here are some pics of my pillow and house.

Vanilla Coffee Cream

Man, you can make just about anything with pinterest. I found this awesome recipe from Mrs. happy Homemaker. It is made out of sweetened condensed milk. Funny story about sweetened condensed milk...my mom was sweet enough to stay with me while I was going through a painful miscarriage. We decided to get a snowcone and a can of sweetened condensed milk..between the two of us we ate the entire can of sweetened condensed milk. I can only imagine the calories we consumed that day. French Vanilla Coffee Creamer Ingredients: •14oz sweetened condensed milk •14oz milk (whole, lowfat, or skim - doesn't matter) •2 teaspoons vanilla extract OR Vanilla Coffee Syrup for a stronger flavor •a mason jar (quart is perfect) Instructions: Pour all of the ingredients into your mason jar. Screw the lid on tightly, and shake vigorously for a few minutes until well combined. To Make it creamier, substitute the milk for heavy cream

chocolate syrup

I made my own chocolate syrup and let me tell you it is GOOD! So easy and so yummy. I got it off pinterest and even got to use my cool new Marshalls find. EnJOY!

The one I liked the best was from Amy Dacyczyn’s The Complete Tightwad Gazette. ½ cup cocoa powder 1 cup water 2 cups sugar ⅛ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon vanilla Mix the cocoa powder and the water in a saucepan. Heat and stir to dissolve the cocoa. Add the sugar, and stir to dissolve. Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Be careful not to let it get too hot and boil over! Add the salt and the vanilla. Let cool. Pour into a clean glass jar, and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for several months, but trust me it will be gone before then. Yields two cups. The result is very rich, so I only use a teaspoon for a glass of chocolate milk.

again my room

I pretty muc

h do different stuff to my house everyday. I did the same with my doll house when I was little. Truth is that I get a little nervous when my boys play with my doll house. I remember one time when my brother thought it would look cool to put the kitchen in the babies room...oh the horror!! So my house is one big doll house to me. Here is a new pic of the changes I made in my room.

Burp Cloths

I love to sew but I am not good at it. I made some burp cloths for my sweet nephew you was born about 2 weeks ago. I just love them.

oh marshalls!

My car took me to Marshalls. I promise it was not my fault. I actually wanted to go to the fabric store but somehow I found myself at Marshalls. This happens often. I am so glad I did though because I found a vintage milk glass. I put my cream in it for my coffee. SOOOOO cute.

a little obsessed

Ok there is a website out there that has got my whole attention.... I don't care that the kids haven't had lunch or breakfast attention. It has made me a bit crazy. Ok, I am only kidding...a little. This website is called houzz.com. It may be old to some of you but I have just discovered this little jewel. Enjoy

Hot Sauce

Not to brag or anything but I have had a lot of tomatoes this summer. Ok, I am bragging! I think I have found my calling....tomato gardner. I had to think of something to do with all my tomatoes so I decided to make hot sauce. This wonderful hot sauce recipe came from my super talented aunt Teresa. My sweet aunt Brenda gave it to me. Thank you aunts!

Recipe 4qts. peeled chopped tomatoes 2 C chopped onion 1 c chopped jalapenos 1/2 c vinegar 1/8 c of sugar 2 1/2 T. of salt 1/4 c finely chopped garlic 1/4 c of cornstarch (mixed with water to make a paste) 2 t. of cumin 2t. of oregeno 1/4 C of fresh cilantro Combine vegetables and seasonings in a large pan. Dissolve cornstarch in enough water to make a paste. Stir in vegetable mix. Simmer for 45 minutes. Put in hot sterilized jars with hot lids. Turn upside down to seal. Yields 4 qts.

My $2 nightstand

I got this little night stand for $2 last week. Not the best looking night stand but hey it was only $2. I was needing something to keep me busy so it worked out perfect. I just sanded and painted that sucker. Not bad for $2. My little buddy is in my pics. Every evening around 7:30 my little guy is in full momma mode. He wants to be by my side and look at all the flowers outside. Mostly we just talk...well, actually he talks and talks. He really has a lot to say. I love it and I love him.

kitchen work

So I did a few DIY last week.  I made a seat cover for my window seat in the kitchen.  I had enough fabric to make some curtains.  I also made some of the best salsa with my mom.  I have had tons of tomatoes this summer.  Nothing like a fresh tomato with some salt.  The recipe for the salsa came from my aunt Teresa.  It is the best.  I will give the recipe tomorrow hopefully. 

Lots of pics of my kichen.  I think it is my favorite room in the house. 

mothers day

What a good day Mother's Day is.  Today was a good peaceful day.  First the hubby got up and went to church with me.  That made me and the kids really excited.  It really doesn't take presents to make me happy and loved.  We don't need all that fancy stuff.  I did get a beautiful handmade card from my oldest and a card that my youngest made in church.  I am so proud of them and want them to know that it is all about loving each other and not material things.  We also celebrated the day with my mom, brother, and dad.  My mom made a great lunch and my brother is doing good...what a blessing!  I am so proud of all the hard work my husband does and so proud to be a mother to two sweet boys.  My hubby works 2 jobs and still plays with my hair nightly. Keeper for sure.

Happy Mother's Day!

The other day I went over to my parent's house which is the my childhood home.  I love it there so much and just can't get enough of the smell of honeysuckle.  I never knew how blessed I was as a child to live on 5 acres of land and to have honeysuckle all around me.  It is so expensive to have land now but I hope to one day be able to.  I cut some of my mom's roses and honeysuckle just to have a little childhood smell at my home.  The flowers at my parent's house are so pretty!  I took some pics of my living room with the flowers.  They just make me happy!

Hello again

Wow it has been a long time. I have no idea why it is so hard for me to write on this thing. I guess I feel I don't have anything really exciting going on. I mean have you seen these blogs lately? They have so much talent! We had a very good Easter. First thing we did was eat breakfast at the church. Sweet Logan decided to carry his own plate and dropped it. He is learning that sometimes mommy is right. After church we went to my aunt Brenda's house. She made all kinds of wonderful food. I made some stuff that I have found off pinterest. The first was mini oreo cheesecake cups. The other was jalapeno pocket things. Both were pretty good and I think I would make them again.

jalapeno poppers recipe from hellohue.com You will need:: a can of Pillsbury Crescent dough about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese (give or take, depending on how much you want to use) 1-2 fresh jalapeños and about 3 strips of bacon (if you want... I always want bacon.) These amounts make 16 poppers. Oven pre-heated to 350 degrees F. Chop the jalapeños into small pieces. Clean out the seeds. Don't stick your fingers in your eyes or mouth for the rest of the day. Cut the bacon into pieces and then cook it up. I usually cut it up first cuz then you have nice, neat pieces and it doesn't get too crumbly. Just watch it so it doesn't burn. Unless you like burnt bacon. But that's weird. Roll out your dough. It's perforated into triangles, but I cut each triangle in half with a pizza cutter and do one popper on each half. Does that make sense? Sorry I didn't take pictures of that part. You can do it without cutting the crescents in half, and they'll just be a little bigger than bite size (and then the recipe will yield 8 larger poppers). Layer a small dollop of cream cheese, a piece or two of jalapeño, and bacon. Bring the corners of the dough together and twist them together at the top. Press the edges of the dough together so the insides don't gush out. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 and munch away!

OREO RECIPE FROM MARTHA STEWART Mini Oreo Cheesecakes Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Printable Recipe Makes 30 42 Oreos (~1 package), 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten 1 cup sour cream Pinch of salt 1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners or grease well with non-stick baking spray. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each cup. 2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla. 3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand. 4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Easter Project

I made these adorable Easter prints yesterday and I love how cute they are. I didn't even spend a dime. I googled a pic of a bunny silhouette. My printer died yesterday so I had to get trashy with it. I took computer paper and taped it to my computer screen. I then traced it onto my paper. I cutted it out onto some cute spring looking paper. Pretty easy and cheap.

bead board

I have been wanting bead board in my house forever. I finally got a little bit in my kitchen. I wanted something my boys could hang their backpacks on. I can't wait to put it in my bathroom too.

My Happy Place

I go to Marshalls weekly. It is my happy place and I could spend hours looking at all the fabulous stuff. This week I found these super cute boy boat shoes. I was needing some for my little guys for Easter. Way to go Marshalls...I love you!

Valentines Card

I have so much fun making my kid his Valentine cards. I got this idea from somewhere out in blog land but can not remember where.

Wreath

I made this wreath the other day with some things around the house. I never buy a wreath already made. Happy Valentines!

Easy Black Bean Soup

This soup is so easy and so low fat.

3 cans of black beans
1 small onion chopped
1 small jar of picante or you can add more if you like
1 1/2 cup of beef broth
1 1/2 cup of water
1 tsp of cumin

Drain 2 cans of the beans. On the 3rd can you want to put it in a bowl with the can juice. Smash it with a potato masher. Add the picante and cumin to the mashed beans. Take your chopped up onion, beef broth, and water to a boil until the onions are tender. When the onions are tender add the mashed up beans and the other two drained beans. Simmer for about 45min. Add a little of sour cream in your bowl and eat.

Marshalls find

I love me some Marshalls. I go about 2 times a week. I was lucky enough to find a cute little picture for $5. I love the colors

Now that I look at in a picture it might need to be hung lower.

Snickerdoodle Cupcake

If you like the snickerdoodle cookie then will love this. Very easy to make

Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2.In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3.In a large bowl, cream shortening and 2 cups sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Alternately add milk and flour mixture in three stages, mixing well with each addition.
4.In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over cake.
5.Pour into prepared 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes or until done.

I made up my own icing but it was really good

I took about 4 tablespoons of butter softened and mixed it with a bag of powdered sugar. I added some cream until it got looking like icing. Then I sprinkled some cinnamon and sugar on top

I didn't marry a baker

The other night I was craving cookie dough. I wanted something sweet but I sure didn't want to make it. I asked my hubby if he would make some cookies and to my surprise he said yes. I was so excited but very nervous of him making cookies from scratch. I decided that a box of brownie mix would be easy enough for him to do. Hubby and my youngest boy were busy making the brownies while the oldest and I played Mario. I was so excited to finally get some brownies. I waited for the timer to go off and being the nice wife I am I got them out of the oven. What I saw next blew my mind. You see hubby put the brownie dough on a cookie sheet. The brownies looked like a huge pancake. I really couldn't understand how you don't know what kind of pan to use. I mean they tell you on the box. I have to admit though they were really good. You had to scrape them off the pan because he forgot the cooking spray. He tried and they were good. Thank you Ryan for being you!

About me Game

Rules:
1. You must post these rules.
2. Each per­son must post 11 things about them­selves on their blog.
3. Answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post

About Me:

1. I take a bath just about every night and read my book in the bath

2. I'm a big baby when I don't feel good...just ask the hubby

3. I drink a lot of green tea

4. I have guilt all the time. Guilt about eating that cookie..guilt about letting my kid play a game. GUILT GUILT

5. I get US weekly every Friday and love love love it.

6. I LOATHE the misuse of the apostrophe. Sorry Brooke I don't even know hhow to spell apostrophe. I do not have good grammer.

7. I love kathie lee and Hoda. I try not to miss an episode nor do I miss a Teen Mom episode.

8. I want a baby girl so bad that it makes me sick.

9. I love Marshalls more than Target. BUT I love getting a Starbucks and ppopcorn with my mom while shopping at Target

10. I would love to adopt but don't ever see it happening. It is just far more money then I have.

11. I love getting mail. It really makes my day to go to the mailbox and see a letter from someone or an US WEEKLY!

The 11 questions from Christina (the blogger who tagged Katie):

1. What was your favorite moment from 2011? Well it was much better then the last part of 2010 for sure. There are so many moments that I love. I can't just pick one.

2. What was your favorite Christmas gift? I would have to say that the gift my son gave me from Santa's workshop at school. It was a sweet little blue box. He said it was to put my ring in when I take my bath. I don't take off my ring but I do put my earrings in it.

3. What's on your list to accomplish in 2012? Saving money by coupons. Get rid of anxiety for once and all. Man I sound like such a sad case.

4. In a pinch, what is your go-to meal to make? Umm well I have been a pinch for the last 3 weeks. I have eggs and toast for dinner.

5. What is your guilty-pleasure show? There is no guilt in my shows. I love them all and proud to tell the world. Kathie lee and Hoda, Housewifes, Teen mom, and the SHORE BABY!

6. How many children do you want? 3 maybe

7. Flats or heels? I can't walk in heels really good. I am a stay at home momma so you know I am in some flats all the time

8. Favorite brand of mascara? Maybelline - whatever I have a coupon for

9. Your greatest accomplishment? My degree. It wasn't easy for me but I made it.





10. Who inspires you most? When I think I am not a good mom I think of my grandma and how she took care of 5 kids with hardly any money. My Aunt Teresa makes me want to keep a clean house. My great Aunt Geneva makes me want to suck it up when I don't feel good.

11. Ever met a celebrity? Yes! My sister in law (Marilyn) and I went to Dallas just hang out. We were starving so we went to the Hard Rock to eat and Kevin Bacon was there performing with his brother. We stayed after to get his autograph. Of course I got his CD.

chicken tortilla soup

My last day to have my oldest boy home before he has to go to school. I love him home. My oldest is my best friend. I am having a blast spending the whole day with my two boys. I told them last night that I would spend my whole day playing what they wanted. I love that they want me to play with them. I hate it when people post on facebook that they are watching a movie with the family....UMMM no you aren't! You are on facebook. I might sound like that but I have taken a quick break to eat lunch. We will be back playing after this post.

So, this chicken tortilla soup is one of the best. I made it on as one of my soups for the Christmas party I had. It was a hit. Picture and recipe is from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
Directions
1.Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Hoppin John

Happy New Year! My plans for 2012 is going to be to save money with coupons. So far so good thanks to consumer queen. I made for the first time Hoppin John for New Years day. I must say it was really good. It was pretty cheap to make. The picture is one I found on the internet but I must say it looked just like my bowl. This is Emerill's recipe.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large ham hock
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 quart chicken stock
Bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
3 cups steamed white rice
Directions
Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice