Tasty Tuesday/Cookie Cake "Fail?"

    This is not a spectacular recipe so if you're looking for Betty Crocker you may want to go back to your search!  This recipe is however super duper easy and I'll tell you what I would do differently to not screw up like I did!  My husband's birthday was yesterday and his one and only request was that he wanted a cookie cake.  Okay I've never made one before but he made it sound pretty easy.  He said just buy some chocolate chip cookie dough, roll it out on a round cookie sheet and bake it.  "Ok!"  So that is exactly what I did!  Except I couldn't find a round "cookie" sheet I got a flat pizza pan. I ended up useing 2 rolls of the cookie dough b/c it didn't seem like it was covering much of the pizza cookie sheet.

According to the package you bake the cookies at 375 degrees for 15 minutes....okay so I used two packages and I rolled it all together....so I decided to bake it for 20 minutes and take a look.....

Here is the "Fail?" part.....
Cookies when baking expand....soooooo.....the cookie overflowed the sides of the pizza cookie sheet and was all over the bottom of the oven but the cookie was not done yet so I trimmed around the edges and continued to bake it...I did so for 10 more minutes and the oven and house smelt like burnt cookies!  But I did it!

Figured I would go a little further to make it special!

YAY!  And it is good but of course it was!!!

What would I do differently?  I think if there is a next time I'm just going to use one tube and see how that does and then stick to the directions on the tube since I am flattening just the one tube instead of two.  If I did two tubes of cookie dough again I would have baked it for 25 minutes straight instead of 15 minutes and then 10 more minutes....this would not be as messy if my pizza cookie sheet had raised sides to hold the cookie in...maybe it would be a good idea to just use a regular cake pan!?

This recipe did not come out of my recipe box but it is something I made this week and something I've never tried so I figured I would share!



Inspired by Michael's Birthday



Parties I'm attending:

Homemaker on a Dime: Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop

Creative Spark

Bunny Hop

Beyond the Picket Fence: Under $100 Linky

Gluesticks: Get Your Brag On

Pedestal Bowl Wannabee

First of all this is not something I came up with....I was so inspired by this tutorial by My Covered Bridge: Pedestal Bowl....I fell in love with it imediately!  So I made my own....with my own touch of course. 

So as you may remember in a previous post Retail Buys and Thrifty Finds I found several goodies!

Both of the items used in this project were found at goodwill.  The bowl was $2 and the candle stick holder was $1....I used a candlestick, in the above tutorial she uses a pedestal. 

I love the detail on the bowl and it looks really nice with the detail on the candlestick holder!

I used E-6000 glue

I applied glue to the top rim of the candlestick holder and placed the bowl on top.

My Covered Bridge painted her pedestal but I really liked the glass on glass look so I kept it...which made my project even less impressive!

.............But I think it's beautiful!  I also placed a silk poinsetta that I took off a $.94 stem of 5 flowers that I got from Walmart...the plastic ornaments I picked up at the Dollar Tree last night for ...yeah...$1!  So if you want to add the whole display up:
Bowl $2.12
Candlestick $1.06
Ornaments $1.06
Poinsetta Flower about $.20 (1 of 5 on the stem)
Total: $4.44
Worth it?  I think so as I plan to use this Pedesetal Bowl Wannabee for quite a few holidays to come...since I did leave the glass without any paint I can change the colors up to go with whatever decor I'm using at the time!


It is just one small piece to my shelf/mantel hutch display.  More to come!

Inspired by My Covered Bridge

Parties I'm attending!

Homemaker on a Dime: Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop 

Bunny Hop

Creative Spark

Beyond the Picket Fense: Under $100 Linky

Gluesticks: Get Your Brag On

I'm back from a wild weekend!

Hello....wow it seems like it has been forever and well it has been a few days!  I stepped away from blogland for a few days to enjoy the long weekend.  Thanksgiving was great; A LOT of yummy food and time well spent with family.  That night my husband, my dad and I decided to join the masses in some midnight craze for good deals!  So we left the little man to sleep at his Mamaw's b/c she had no desire to get out and about to shop at midnight.  Not a huge fan that Black Friday started at midnight at so many stores but we did get some good deals.  Mike and I went to Best Buy while my dad went to H H Gregg....we all got what we set out for after standing outside in the cold for an hour and a half.  But hey at least we weren't out there since Sunday or even Wednesday morning....yes there were people at Best Buy w/ tents and all since Sunday morning...CRAZY!  But Mike and I got a new computer which we needed so bad; so now I'm trying to learn how to use it and I've ran into some glitches so please excuse me for a while until I can get this machine figured out!  After getting our top list of goods we headed home for some sleep just to wake up and go back out  :)  I got so much Christmas shopping done too so I'm very happy about that b/c I was dragging at the Christmas shopping department; still plenty to do but making some head way has given me the encouragement to get it done!  We did get our tree up Friday evening after a day full of shopping; which consists of rearranging our living room and some other areas of the house b/c our house works for us on a regular day but to get a tree and other items out...we have to make some space.  But hey it's just for one month right?!  Saturday I got some more shopping done and some much needed cleaning around the house so Sunday it was crunch time and  I for the most part finished the decorating, got the house all tidied back up and did some more shopping  :)  I love Thanksgiving weekend...it's hectic but I get to spend time w/ family, eat yummy food that I don't have to cook, spend A LOT of time with my two favorite guys, do A LOT of fabulous shopping and decorate for Christmas.  What more could a girl ask for!? 
But I'm back and have a fun project to share with you today so stay tuned!  I hope you had as great a weekend as I did

Retail Buys and Thrifty Finds!

  I'm so excited to share with you some of the recent purchases I've been making!


Retail Buys:

    As you can see this is a smorgasbord of items....Lets see, starting at top left; some clothes pins I bought at the dollar store for $2 a pack, foam squares from the dollar store for $1 a pack, the white velcro was bought at Meijer but if you saw my Money Envelope post you would know I needed some white velcro so no special deal there, Red duct tape for a Christmas Money Envelope I want to make so no special deal there but I bought it at Meijer as well, then the pants hanger....so excited about this purchase and I had to go back and get another one...bought at the dollar store for $3 a piece which is the cheapest I've found....that is a for a future post, below that is some twine from the dollar store...everyone keeps using twine so I had to join in and then two vinyl table cloths that I bought for a whopping $1.75 each at Meijer...yeah fall stuff already going on sale.  It was that way at Walmart too where I bought some miniature pumpkins Sunday but I forgot to take pictures before I packed those up for next years fall decorations.


Thrifty Finds

    Just a few items, sorry some of them are hard to see but obviously a purple t-shirt that I got at the Peddlars Mall for $.50 and with all of the t-shirt projects out there right now I was all over it.  There of course are t-shirts everywhere but I like the color of this one so I bought it, then there is a glass something...I don't know it has a bowl on top with a stem and a bottom but doesn't look to me like a wine glass but it was $1 at the Peddlars Mall...project to come for this little guy, a glass candlestick holder for $1 at Goodwill and a glass bowl for $2 at Goodwill....love the detailing on these two and can't wait to share those projects with you!, and then there is a rolling pin...no project here I was just looking for a rolling pin and I scored this one for $3.50 at the Peddlars Mall when all the other ones I found were $10+.

As stated before, I am so thankful for Retain Therapy!  Especially when it can come at such a cheap price!  Thanks for stopping by!

Inspired by Retail Therapy

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #24

    It's the BIG day!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I wanted to save the most wonderful thankful post for last.  I am so thankful for God who sent his son to die on the cross for me.  For calling me his child and loving me no matter the mistakes I make.  For blessing me beyond belief as shown these past 24 days through my "A Life to be Thankful for" series.  None of which would be possible without the Lord!
Thank you for taking this ride with me and may God Bless you and your family as he has bless me and mine!

Inspired by Thanksgiving

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #23

    I'm thankful for who I am today.  Of course I have 27 years under my belt that have molded me into the person I am today; and I couldn't possibly lead you through that in detail.  There have been many ups and downs as I'm sure everyone experiences ups and downs in their lives.  But even for the rough times I am thankful because without them I might be a totally different person.  I believe that although far from perfect I have turned out to be a good person with firm beliefs and strong morals.  Just a few examples of what I mean; My mom was just 16 when I was born and my dad 18 but my dad stuck around for me; imagine how different my life would be if my dad at 18 decided he didn't want a kid yet!  Eventually I ended up moving in with him at age 12 and we moved to a different county...which I also believe was the best move ever for me!  I had a very hard time in Elementary and Middle school...I was definitely not hanging with the cool kids; quite the opposite really.  So when we moved to another county when I was entering into high school I was able to be a different person....or the person that I was but the people in the new county didn't know me and didn't know my past so they were able to get to know me as a high schooler and not the insecure middle schooler!  What if I never moved in with my dad?  I would have obviously stayed with my mom and wouldn't have changed churches so would I have eventually left and ended up in the Faith I lead now?  Would I continue to be that insecure girl? ....just small examples but if you think about your past and the road you have traveled...just one turn could make things so different.  But I'm thankful where my road has led and the person I am today.


Inspired by Thanksgiving

Tasty Tuesday/Taco Bake

Here we are again for some yummy goodness!  I got all good feedback on this recipe found also in blog land, I sit here wondering what I was thinking when I wrote down the recipe but not where I got it from.  So I apologize to the person who came up with with recipe!  


This is so simple, it's a must try!


Ingredients:
~A few handfuls of macaroni noodles (prepare as directed by pkg)
~Diced onions
~1lb ground beef
~Taco Seasoning
~A jar of Salsa
~Frozen Corn
~Shredded Cheese (I used Mild Cheddar but I'm sure Mexican mix would be very good too!)
~Can of black beans (Optional...this was not on the original recipe, I added this on my own and it was great!)
~Diced Green Chilis (Optional)




Brown ground beef and diced onions
Prepare with Taco seasoning according to pkg

Mix everything except shredded cheese together in a 9x13 pan
Add shredded cheese on top


Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Remove tin foil and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown


You can serve with any of these delicious toppings suggested by the original post
Hot Sauce
Sour Cream
Crushed Tortilla Chips
We thought it was yummy to add Taco Sauce as a topping

 

(Half eaten...yeah sorry about the lack of pictures, I guess my mind was too involved in the actual eating part this time!)

This was loved by everyone that tried it here...my 19 months old, my biggest food critic (my husband), my dad, my stepmom and myself!  It even made good leftovers....not a single bit was left to the dogs or the trash!





Inspired by my Recipe Challenge




Parties I'm attending!

Bunny Hop

Creative Spark

Tea Rose Home Linky Party

Homemaker on a Dime: Creative Bloggers Party Hop

Under $100 Linky Party

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #22

    Thanking You!!!  I love all of my followers; you all make me feel so special that you would be willing to follow me.  I'm very new, and I don't have hundreds or thousands of followers likes some other bloggers.....but that just means that I have such appreciation for each and every one of my 15 followers that I have today.  In general, I'm very thankful for becoming a part of blog land, I've been so inspired every single day by the amazing blogs that I get to view.  I wouldn't have become part of blog land with out the help of a personal friend of mine My Friends Call Me Suzy.  She introduced me to blog land and helped me setup my account and to this day encourages me in my creativity....(on a side note I would like to lift her up today as she and her family are having a very rough day today due to a great loss).  Once I started digging into blog land there was so much to learn and I ended up getting help from ladies that I didn't even know....thanks to WhyCuzICan and Bunny Jeans Decor and More ~ my main blog in my newbie confusion these ladies helped lead the way; and have you tried Bunny Jean's linky party on Wednesdays?  I have great appreciation for awesome Linky Parties....I have the list of blog linky parties I like to join on the side bar of my blog.  Thankful for all of those great ladies who take the time to throw them.  Including but not alone in this group is Homemaker on a Dime, she has been very encouraging to me lately, it's incredible to me that someone with such a large blog is willing to give encouragement to little ole me!  Like I said these are just a few....I'm inspired by so many awesome blogs and my followers encourage me everyday to improve my blog!  Thanks to all of you today and every day!


Inspired by Thanksgiving

First Refurbish Part 1

    I've seen some amazing refurbished furniture here in blog land.  I have been inspired!  Here is the first of my refurbishing a desk and also the first post of many about a BIG project I'm working on.  I'm calling it my "Craft Corner"....lame; I know....sorry!  I've seen a lot of adorable project or craft nooks and I too am working on my own.  My husband and I own a three bedroom, two bath ranch style house.  We have a 19 month old and I babysit for a living....we DO NOT have extra space for my craft supplies.  We have lived in this home for almost 4 years now and all of my supplies have been residing in a few totes in the attic so whenever I got the itch I would go up and get what I needed but this didn't happen often b/c I didn't feel like going up to the attic to drag stuff out and then have to clean it up and drag it all back up.  Here recently I've been wanting to really dig into my crafts and geez have I been so inspired daily in blog land.  I must have my own space to work!!!  So I have assigned myself a corner in our bedroom....some rearranging and reorganizing had to be done but I think it's going to work.  I bought a cheap short book shelf and then was in search for a desk. 

I found one....FOR FREE!

I was so excited!  Yes it needed work but I was willing to do it because I've seen some awesome refurbish projects in blog land and now I must try my hand at it and what is better than a FREE desk for my space!? 

Well for starters a desk that is real wood would help!

Refurbish *fail*

See I went to a yard sale where they had this desk and they were getting rid of it for FREE and since I was looking for a desk to refurbish for my craft area and it was indeed FREE I was on it like white on rice!  I ran home, had Mike go pick it up w/ his truck and take it to my dads b/c we don't have a garage for me to work on it.  Dad was out of town but he came home and told me....it wasn't worth doing work to b/c it wasn't real wood.  Heck if I know what I'm looking at when it comes to wood....I have SO MUCH to learn!

So my lovely dad knowing that I'm in search for a desk loves to go to Peddlars Malls and browse; found me a beauty!

It needed a little glue in 1 or 2 places and dad took care of that but it was a wopping $30.  Okay not FREE but I love it! 
Now dad is less than thrilled b/c....I'm painting it!  All the furniture in my room is black and it is going to fit right in and be the PERFECT desk for my crafts and super excited about the layout for sewing! 

    So I'm posting about this today b/c I finally got started today.  I didn't get a whole lot done; my goal was to get her ready to sand.  So I cleaned her up w/ soap and water and then the "real" cleaning as dad called it.  I think he said it was degreaser...but I know he said it would get rid of any waxy buildup.  Question...."is this going to mess up my nails?"  Dad: "Um probably, I don't really think about that sort of thing"....so gloves it is no biggie!  I'm really not so shallow but when you pay for nails you kind of don't want them messed up 3 days later...I usually wait until a couple of days before I go back before messing them up b/c they will get fixed.    But it doesn't matter b/c dad decided he would just do it himself b/c he is already working on a desk for my stepmom.  Okay...yeah....don't make fun.  I was totally willing to do it but it was getting close to Gregory's bedtime and I was going to need to leave anyways so it would of had to wait until I got there again but this way it will be ready to sand next time....just like I wanted.  Isn't my daddy the best!?  Reference here!  I'm really excited about this project and we brainstormed a couple more while we were at it!  I can't wait to show you what she looks like in the end!


Inspired by Blog Land

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #21

    I've learned a hard lesson lately and I'm pretty sure it should have sunk in a long time ago.  Friends....they are hard to come by.  Most of the time they are really just acquaintances and for some reason we give them more credit than that.  My dad used to tell me when I was younger that one day I would learn that you could count your true friends on one hand....in other words....you only have less than 5 true friends.  On many occasions I have come to the realization that someone who I thought was my friend really was not.  At 27 I still have this thrown in my face.  Just recently a "friend" of mine who I've known and kept in touch with since high school (13 years) fell off the side of the earth despite my calls and text messages....but I did receive a message on Facebook from her saying she wasn't mad at me or anything she was just feeling distant from everyone.....I did know that she didn't just stop talk to me; she stopped talking to a few others as well.  But then I realized....is she a real friend?  No....I don't believe she is.  A true friend is not going to just disappear and then ignore your phone calls...or especially a text message since those are so easy to send....you can send a text while you are sitting on the toilet!  What if I really needed someone and let me tell you there have been plenty of moments here lately that I've needed a friend.  Okay...so what am I thankful for?  The people that I call my friends today....people who I can talk to like my stepmom....I know she is family so maybe she doesn't count???  But I know I can always count on her.  I've been keeping in touch with a couple of girls on Facebook near and far that have been there for me to vent to and have been giving me advice....thanks Kabbott and My Friends Call Me Suzy...these girls are personal friends of mine not just blogger friends and I'm thankful for them and all the emotional support they have given me in these past few months and I want them to know that! 


Inspired by Thanksgiving

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #20

    Today's Thanksgiving post is a little different from the rest I think.  I have been mostly generalizing what I'm thankful for in my life...In general I'm thankful for food, In general I'm thankful for Retail Therapy, In general I'm thankful for my ability to be creative.....nothing too specific but yes I'm thankful for all of these things.  But today I'm just thankful for today...Sunday; November 20th.  You see this past week was our families first week of living with Mike working the 2nd shift at his new job.  As probably stated before 2nd shift was not our 1st choice which was of course 1st shift but it also isn't our last choice of 3rd shift.  However after a full week plus an additional day because he had to work Saturday even though that isn't going to be the norm....so 6 days of 2nd shift where I do get to see him during the day but I babysit so it has been pretty hectic trying to do my job, take care of my son and fit in sometime for our family while the babysitting kids are here.  Then in the evenings it's me and my tiny man and although he was good more than he was bad by the end of the week I felt lonely and distanced from my husband and gaps in my family.  After just ONE week....ugh....how am I going to do this!?   I even got an ulcer in my mouth which is caused by stress if that tells you how I'm taking this change.
    But today.....today we didn't rush to first hour service at church but took our time getting ready and going to church for their 2nd hour service on this cold and rainy Sunday morning.  Worship was awesome and the message really hit home for me; I love when that happens....like God is sending me a message and touches me from within.  Gregory fell asleep on the way home; so Mike and I watched our favorite team play basketball....LOVE...... while Gregory napped.  Then when Gregory woke up we put in the move "Up" which Gregory really enjoyed and I did a little picking up and folding clothes but for the most part we just chilled out together....just me and my guys!!  Then I got a great surprise in that my brother wanted to come by which being that he is 21 and in his own world 95% of the time was a pleasant shock!  So he came with his girlfriend and it was good for my heart for us to just sit here chatting and watching my brother play with Gregory....thats about it but that was my perfect day.  After a rough week emotionally this wonderful day was just what I had needed!  Thank you Lord for allowing me this beautiful day when everyone else just saw a gloomy, cold and rainy day.


Inspired by Thanksgiving

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #19

    It's only fitting that today being Saturday I am thankful for the weekend!  Some people have days off from their jobs in the middle of the week but I get to have my days off on the weekend.  Which I'm very happy about because I like having people to hang out with since others are off too!  Don't get me wrong, I'm so blessed in my job but I very much enjoy my recharge days as well...days where I don't have 5 toddlers to tend to but just my one!  Today wasn't the best day off I've ever had because Mike had to work (2nd shift), my stepmom/shopping buddy was out of town and our internet/phone went out for a while and I had to wait for the Cable guy to come.  But this morning and this evening Gregory and I did a little shopping.  We went to Meijer where I used some coupons, got some things we needed and added to my craft supplies, then we went to Goodwill where I found some pants I needed and some other fun items I'll be posting about this week and then this evening we went to Walmart where I got some good deals because they already have their fall decor on sale to make room for their Christmas stuff....crazy.....and I got some more craft supplies!  Now I just need to get to work on some projects!  I also sent Mike some pictures of Christmas gift ideas for me since he constantly complains he doesn't have a clue.....ooooo....I hope a picture text is a good enough hint!


Inspired by Thanksgiving

Blogger Book

    So here is a project that has taken me longer than it should have to complete.  I've been working on it little by little for the past couple of weeks. Taking breaks to do other projects like Money Envelopes and bunches of Yo-yos....which have also come in handy with this project.  I got the idea to buy and decorate a notebook for my blog notes from WhyCuzICan....isn't her notebook fabulous!?  Ever since I started blogging just a couple of months ago I've been scribbling ideas on this pad of paper that I have on the end table next to my side of the couch....yes we somehow got assigned seats in our living room....please tell me we are not alone!? :-)  Anyways...I like to be organized and as stated before I'm a self-proclaimed lister!  So a notebook organized just for my blog notes was right up my alley! 

So here we go!  Most of what I do to my notebook I'm new at and found the ideas in Blogland which have made this even more fun for me to do!

Here I have my burlap that I wanted to use to accent my notebook.  It has a tiny mark where I measured how much I needed to cover the spine of my notebook.  My notebook as been marked where I want my burlap to sit. (I've never worked with burlap before and learned how to cut burlap from the store I bought it at...you don't just cut into burlap!) 

Here I took regular scotch tape to hold my burlap into place

Here are pre-measured strips of purple duct tape!  I love all the pretty colors duct tape come in now....this was my first duct tape project even though I made the Money Envelopes with duct tape which I posted before this....I wasn't yet finished with my notebook so the envelopes made it to blogland first!

So I began laying the tape

And folded it over on the inside of the notebook....

Notebook covered in tape and the tape is overlapping the burlap which will hold it better in place.

Next I wrote my blog name on a smaller piece of burlap w/ a black permanent marker....sorry nothing too exciting!

But was super exciting and I failed to get a picture of was my first and yes you heard that right FIRST time using Mod Podge!  I covered the back of the piece of burlap with Mod Podge, placed it on my notebook and put a little more Mod Podge around the edges to help hold them down a little better....THEN....I put in a frantic message to my friend My Friends Call Me Suzy "Does Mod Podge dry clear?  The bottle doesn't say!"  Thank the Lord her answer was "Yes!"....yay!  I let it dry over night and yes it did!

Lastly.....

I attached my Yo-yos that I made with a hot glue gun.  The bottom two are just two little yo-yos I made with old shirts.  The top "flower" is also two yo-yos I made.  Obviously I made a big Yo-yo and then I took one of my smaller Yo-yos and glued it upside down to make up the middle of my flower!  So..... just a few small things I've learned in blog land and put to use.  Now I've got to start writing in my notebook!

As you can see...plenty more yo-yos where this came from and I have some more projects with them coming soon!

Inspired by WhyCuzICan




Sunday Parties:








Wednesday Parties:














Thursday Parties:











Other Parties:

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #18

    Thanking God for always providing no matter the circumstance.  Just as most we have gone through tough times but as I've stated before we've never gone hungry, we've not had to go without much of anything really.  Even when we struggle we are able to pay our bills and put food in our mouths.  The reason this is on my mind today is because yesterday Mike was supposed to get his first paycheck from his new job and well there was a mix up with the new-hires checks and the checks either went to the wrong department/shift or they got mailed.  Well he went in today to find out that they did go to the wrong department/shift and due to crappy communication apparently the checks were then mailed.  I mean really?  Mailing a check to someone who is going to be there for 2nd shift.  My dad assures me that this is normal at a lot of companies that are as big as the one that Mike is now working for....but I just think it's stupid.  So....the check we were expecting yesterday isn't going to get to us until tomorrow or Monday...even if we get it tomorrow it wont make it to the bank until Monday....I know this thankful post  is sounding awful negative....indeed I'm frustrated b/c I find this whole process ludicrous!  But you know what?.... we are going to be fine, we are going to get gas in our cars and the paycheck will get here when it gets here.  In this economy we are so blessed that we have a paycheck in route.  With that said...Mike got a very nice check last week from his old job that contained his hours, some paid out vacation time he had not taken, they didn't take out for insurance and they didn't even take out taxes....last week I was like....come on, why didn't they take out taxes???  Now, maybe God knew we needed the extra dollars to pay all the bills in the folder because this weeks check was going to be late and He knew that.  We don't always see the big picture, I get very easily frustrated and worry about things that are WELL beyond my control.  I have a very hard time just trusting that God has it covered, but he always has, always does and always will!  Thank God for being so much larger than any problems that could ever come my way!


Inspired by Thanksgiving

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #17

    Today I'm reminded how blessed we are for our health.  With Mike's recent job change we are unable to carry insurance for our family.  As a stay at home mom I obviously don't provide insurance for my family so Mike does that and his new job doesn't provide insurance until you have been there for 90 days.  I don't like this at all; I have never been without insurance that I can remember.  So we did what we had to and were able to get Gregory insured....at least if anything happened he would get what he needed.  We have the option of Cobra but unless something happens in the next 60 days we wont be doing that because we simply cannot afford it.  I know what you're thinking....get an individual insurance plan.  Well we could probably look into that for Mike but for me you can forget it, we would be better off paying for Cobra.  With the fertility issues I have faced in the past, the individual insurance company quoted me $1200 just for me!!  Is that not CRAZY!?!?!  But it's okay....we are so blessed in that we don't have big health issues to worry about.  My fertility issues are not life threatening and Mike is rarely sick....of course now that I'm typing this and we don't have insurance I'm just waiting for the ball to drop; I just have to live on Faith!  We are praying every day that we will be able to make it these 90 days continuing to be healthy.  There are so many people that would be unable to even fathom not having insurance because they face real health issues!   We have been blessed so far!
And an added bonus to this thankful post...I'm so thankful we have been successful in being able to get insurance for Gregory....he is what matters the most!

Inspired by Thanksgiving

A Life to be Thankful for! Day #16

 
    I'm so thankful for my church family!  Tonight our church had their Thanksgiving meal which is a potluck style dinner w/ good food and fellowship!  Of course we got our bellies full and then Gregory was ready to join the rest of the kids at play.  These kids were much older and running wild....Gregory was way too small to keep up and it made me a nervous wreck but it was so cute.  He tried so hard to play with them and would copy everything they did.  So for the most part I stood back and watched Gregory play and well make sure he didn't get trampled.  Watching over him, letting him fall but always being there to pick him up.....much like God does....  He lets us run and often times we just want to keep up with everything and everyone around us but when we fall he is always there!  While I did what I as a Momma do best I was approached with such sweet words by members of my church family.  A lady who my parents know well but I unfortunately am unable to remember her name said to me "You know everyone just loves him, he has the best smile.  He should be in commercials"...of course his smile melts my heart but of course I know I'm bias, so it's so nice to hear from someone else.  Even though this was not the first time I had been told such a thing......  Then a little later our pastor tells me, "You know during worship on Sunday mornings I often stand in the back.  You'll be holding Gregory and he always looks back and smiles at me and it just brightens my morning right before I go to the front to preach".  Who wouldn't want to hear this about their child?  I know Gregory's smile brings me joy but he brings joy to so many people around us just by flashing his one of a kind smile!  My church family really lifted me up this evening......yes this gathering was about Thanksgiving however I arrived feeling isolated but I left feeling so blessed!

Inspired by Thanksgiving

Tasty Tuesday/Chipotle Chicken Cups

Yummy hottness!  Here we are again on Tasty Tuesday for my recipe challenge.  I must admit that this recipe along with some others have been recently added to my recipe box for my recipe challenge b/c I saw them on a blog and couldn't resist but to try it.  So far this has proven to be a great way to find easy, yummy and new recipes!  I found this recipe on Reduce Heat & Simmer!

Ingredients:
12 Wonton Wrappers
1/2 c shredded Jack cheese (Or any cheese you want to use)
1 c (about 5 oz) small-diced cooked chicken
1 c salsa
1/2 tsp Chipotle Powder
1/2 c chopped green onions

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Fit 1 Wonton Wrapper into each of the 12 muffin cups, pressing wrappers carefully but firmly into sides of the cups.  Bake for 7-8 minutes or until lightly brown.

Combine ingredients in medium bowl.  You may want to drain some of the liquid from the salsa

                                                             Cook your chicken first!

1/2 tbsp cheese into each cup, divide chicken mixture into each cup.  Top with a pinch of cheese.

             
Bake for 7-8 minutes or until cheese melts

             The pictures on Reduce Heat & Simmer give this meal more justice than my pictures do!


Serve!


What did my critics say?  Well it ended up being A LOT hotter than I imagined, Gregory had a couple of bites but after Momma and Daddy's mouths were on fire rather quickly we realized this was not a meal meant for my 19 month old.  However; Momma and Daddy very much enjoyed this meal.  However we agreed that next time we are going to try just using half of the amount of Chipotle Powder that the recipe calls for!  If you like spice....you will love this!

Inspired by Tasty Tuesday and Reduce Heat & Simmer!


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http://foodssrilanka.blogspot.com/2011/11/midweek-fiesta-4.html