Monday, December 31, 2012

Highlights for 2012

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas
and are anxiously awaiting the fresh start of a
brand spankin' new year!

I don't have any New Year's Projects for you,
however, I'll let you see how we celebrated last year...
but first,
I mustache you a question...


Do you like to party?


We had a lot of fun last new year's eve with some
mustache and word bubble props.




Of course, Sara picked the
"this is what AWESOME looks like"
bubble.


My friend, Kristian with her Fu Manchu...


We played Apples to Apples...
I ended up with this card and thought it was kind of fitting:


Looks like a group mug shot...


My sister:


Sara and my mom...my mom still has her mustache.
She keeps it in the kitchen...I think she wears it when no one is around. :)



Kristian's husband, Waylon...
we used to tease him that he needed to be medicated just to hang out with us.
I'm not sure it was a joke. :)


Taylor looks good with a stache!


Even the kitties got involved...willing or not...



Goofy-ness...

There are tons of mustache templates online.
I used some to cut stiff felt and hot glued them
to some mini dowels I painted.
They were nice and sturdy and will last a while.


The word bubbles I just made in Word using this method.
They were printed on cardstock then cut out and glued to the dowels.
I got a whole pack of them at Hobby Lobby cheap.
 You could use skewers, but they're pokey and I'm clumsy. :)

Have a supercalifragalisticexpialidocious New Year!!!


Now, on to the highlights...
I wasn't sure if I was gonna do a recap post...but decided...what the heck.
Here goes...
the most popular posts for 2012:

Number 1...the Folding Chair Facelift!
This post has gotten over 50 thousand views...and
continues to be the highest viewed post daily.
It is featured as color inspiration in a scrapbooking magazine.
I was contacted about using it for a project for troubled teens.
I can't believe painting my chairs would have garnered so much interest.


2. The French Script Shade Copy
Even got a virtual high-five from the blogger I copied. :)


3. Snowball Fight in a Bucket make your own fun!


4. My Witch hat tutorial for fashion forward witches!


5. The DIY Wonder Woman costume
It surprises me that this one made the top 5 :)


6. My Master Bath Mini Makeover
7. My cute little French clock story
8. Three great drink mixes for giving
9. My KitchenAid Makeover
10. My Laundry Room Redo

How are you celebrating?
We stay in and play games and act silly...
there may or may not be brandy slush involved.

Looking forward to an awesome 2013!



sharing here:

the 36th Avenue

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Monday, December 24, 2012

Happy Christmas to All!

Wishing you and yours
a Very Merry Christmas...
 
 
And the most wonderful things
in the New Year!
 
 

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Double Chocolate Peppermint Brownies



***NOTE: this post is from Dec. 2012***

Greetings all.
I know it's been a while...December is so busy.

Then horrible things happen and you just don't
have the heart for posting light-hearted things
about decorations or brownies or anything.

But sometimes there is comfort in doing normal things.
For me, that is some therapeutic baking.

So, I cried and I baked a bunch this weekend.


I wanted to share these delectable brownies with you.

I found these Andes Peppermint Crunch
baking chips and KNEW we were gonna be BFFs!

So, put on your apron, and bake your little heart out.


Double Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
·         5 oz {approx. ¾ cup} semi-sweet or dark chocolate morsels
·         5 oz {see previous ingredient J} milk chocolate morsels
·         1/3 cup butter
·         1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
·         ½ tsp baking soda
·         ¼ tsp salt
·         1 cup sugar
·         3 eggs
·         2 tsp pure vanilla
·         6 oz Andes peppermint crunch bits {approx. 1 cup}
·         Additional ½ - ¾ cup mixed chocolate morsels
Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt the 2 – 5 oz portions of chocolate and butter in a small bowl in the microwave {medium power for 1 minute, stir, repeat until smooth}. Set aside to cool. You could also do this on the stove if you prefer. Be careful not to over heat.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir together with a wire whisk and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Add chocolate mixture, mix well. Add flour mixture and mix until combined.
Stir in peppermint bits and remaining chocolate morsels.
Pour into a greased 13X9 pan.  Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.
 

Did you know that using a plastic knife to cut your
brownies will help you cut them more smoothly?
No joke.

I never woulda believed it myself, but, it's true.

I hope you are enjoying your family and lovin' them up right now.
Hold them tight and make as many wonderful memories as you can.

Have a Very Merry Christmas!


 Sharing here:

The 36th Avenue
Simply {Kierste}
Serenity You
A Stroll Thru Life
Anyonita Nibbles
Rain on a Tin Roof
Dwellings
The Dedicated House
 Love Grows Wild
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
A Stroll Thru Life
Life With The Crust Cut Off
Ivy and Elephants
City Farmhouse
Lamberts Lately
From My Front Porch to Yours
Put a Bird On It
Crafts a la Mode
Craft Dictator
Love of Family and Home
Lil' Luna
WhipperBerry
Will Cook For Smiles
Serenity You
 Cheerios and Lattes
Embracing Change
DebbieDoo's


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Thursday, December 6, 2012

3 Hot Drink Mixes for Giving {and Keeping!}


Meet Bob.

Bob and I have been working
our little fingers to the bone!


We've been sewing a new tree skirt, making new stockings...
cutting, folding and gluing paper garlands...
not to mention baking cakes and getting ready for birthday parties...
taking and editing family Christmas pictures...

Oh yeah, and drinking LOTS of Christmas Cappuccino.


Bob wanted me to tell you that he understands...
decorating and shopping and wrapping and baking and smiling all the time
is hard work!

You should never expect to do all that without ample
amounts of sugar and caffeine!
Lucky for you, we are here to help!
Well, okay...only one technically has coffee...
but we've got plenty of sugar!


Christmas Cappuccino
2 1/2 cups chocolate drink mix {Nesquick}
8 cups dry milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup instant coffee granules
8 oz jar powdered french vanilla coffee creamer

{These measurements can easily be halved}

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Store in an airtight container until ready to drink or gift!
Mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 8 oz. HOT water.
Stir...sip...aaaaaah.


Creamy White Hot Chocolate
    1 1/2 cups dry milk
    1/2 cup powdered french vanilla coffee creamer
    1 cup chopped white chocolate {chips or bar}
    optional couple dashes of cinnamon
Mix it all up...store cool and dry.

Add 1/3 cup mix to 8 oz. BOILING water.
Add some cream or half and half.


The World's Best Cocoa

5 1/3 cups dry milk
2 cups chocolate drink mix {Nesquick}
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup powdered coffee creamer {I like Cremora}

Mix it all up in a really big bowl.
Store in an airtight container.
Or make some and decide you're going to drink
the whole batch by yourself in one afternoon.

Or not.

Stir 1/3 cup dry mix into 8 oz. HOT water.
I always add some cream and top with whipped cream.
The added cream makes it heavenly.
You could do marshmallows.
Be that way.
  

Bob said I didn't tell you about the packaging.
He's starting to bug me.
Maybe it's all the caffeine and sugar...

The little brown bags I get at The Container Store.
Adorable.
They're like 39¢ each! No kidding!

I just added paper tape I found at Michael's...some hand painted tags...
okay, one is paper...excuse me!
And some baker's twine.

You could use rubber stamps and emboss them.

The little cans I found at Target for $1!
They hold about 4 servings each.

I just added some little snowflake-lookin' vinyl.
  


So, if you're giving...don't forget to include directions.

I have done these for teachers in little single serve zip bags with tags.
Great to stick in a larger gift or stockings.


Sorry, Diana...I don't know how to make these without sugar.
If anyone is interested...I do have a recipe for Merry Mochaccino
that uses regular cocoa powder and sugar which could
be substituted with stevia or splenda.
I just haven't made it...everything else in the book has been good, so...

I am still getting my decorations up...I wasn't kidding about all that work!
:)

Oh well, I won't make the Christmas decorating blog parties this year.
There's always next year!

How about you guys?
Is your house all decked out?
Do you go all out or do you do minimal?
Have a great weekend!


The Christmas Cappuccino recipe is from the
Gooseberry Patch original Merry Mixes book.
I've use MANY mixes from there...all fantastic.


Handing out marshmallows at these fine parties:
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