Summer 2015

This has been the best summer ever! Usually summers are filled with bills, hot weather and no kinds of fun.  Last year, I didn't even take off from work.  I got severally burned out and that wasn't fun.

Mom and I went to California for a weekend in June! I had been there several times but I'm glad that Mom got to go with me! We didn't do much except sleep, eat, visit and do it over again.

Early summer was filled with pretty plants and flowers.

Trips to the shaved ice stand in Tishomingo is always fun.  The ice is so soft! My favorite flavor is pina colada!

Mom and I went to our school's reunion.  It was nice to see people that my mom went to school with. I wish more of my generation went.  I guess they think it's just for older people but older people are fun!

            

The summer wasn't too incredibly hot.  There was a few weeks that had triple digit heat but then there weren't.  I think when it rained so much, I even got out my yoga pants and long sleeve t-shirts.

We had a tropical storm named Bill even though we live nowhere near the ocean! It just stayed over Southern Oklahoma for ever it seemed.  This was in June but in May, it also rained and rained.  There were rivers that flooded and you couldn't cross bridges!  I had several leaks in my roof and ceiling pop up and that wasn't fun! I even had water come through my oven hood.  I'm thankful for the rain but not 50 inches of it in a short time!  Right now, there is still some patches of green grass but the late summer heat has made some of the grass die.  Usually by now, the trees are brown, but most are still green.

Buddy got bit by a snake that was by the dry creek.  He should've known better than to play with a snake.  He took some medicine and got all better.

I went to town one Saturday and went to Hamburger King.  That is probably my favorite place to eat in Ada.  I wish I could find someone to go with me!

On the 4th of July, I had no plans and I didn't care that I didn't.  About 3pm,  the electricity went off!Mom needed to go to Tishomingo, so she said that Jessi could come with us since I didn't need anything either.  Jessi always enjoys a trip.  She saw a big yellow lab in the parking lot of the dollar store and didn't want him to be there.  She only likes the friends that she likes.  Jessi is weird.  Who ever heard of rain on the 4th of July any way?

                 




     

                             

I got my 3rd quarter prize from my company! I intended to wear it with my awards night dress but when I got to our conference, I received another jewelry set for being a 4 quarter star!

Buddy got bit by a snake during the rains but he got better.  He shouldn't have been playing with a snake any way!  He slowly got better and is back to his silly self!

Being a part of my company has been a great experience.  The motivation and girl time is amazing.  It's not competitive because we lift each other up.

Before I went to Dallas, I went to Sherman to buy groceries and just get out of the house.  You can't go to Texas without going to Whataburger!

The day I left for Dallas, Jessi and I got to enjoy the beautiful crepe myrtles in the yard.  I'm sure I enjoyed them more than Jessi.  Jessi just likes to watch the squirrels in the trees.

          

Dallas was amazing!  At the conference, I got to attend an ice cream social.  I asked the rest of the girls if it was ok to eat my ice cream because they didn't have one.  They said, sure it was.

I bought a selfie stick and it took a while to get a hang of it.

The weekend was filled with tons of laughter and fun.

        

I was the Queen of Sales at my unit's awards night.  That was such a surprise.  I kidded everyone and told them that I carry my tiara in my car and asked if they did too.  I had to laugh about the night that I won it.  My director had the new fall products, so I decided to be the volunteer for the new men's cologne.  It's hard to tell what it smells like if you spray it in the air.  On my way home, I was so afraid that I'd get stopped and be smelling like a man with a tiara on my head.

I put a blanket in the front seat of my car and Jessi and I went to my friends house.  Jessi doesn't get to ride much in my new car because I have white leather seats.  She's done it a few times but I made sure that I have her a blanket in the car.  I was laughing at her the other day because I woke her up from taking a nap, so on our way back home, she actually fell asleep in the car.  Usually she is up looking around.

My girl Daisy finally has become my best friend.  I've had her for 4 years and it took her that long to become my companion.  I don't know if all Doberman's are like that.  I knew she would be, I just didn't know it would take that long.  She gets so excited to see me when I get home from work.

The mornings have started to be cool.  I guess this feels like a real end of summer.  Usually everything is burned up and dying.  Hopefully every summer will end like this.

The Best Weekend

It's July and I'm thankful for the 2 plus months of rain that we've had.  Usually by this time, the grass is brown and crunchy.  Now, it's green and lush.

Saturday, I had to take my car to Ardmore to get the oil changed at the dealership.  My mom didn't have to work, so she got to go with me.  Sometimes it's fun to go on a trip by yourself but it gets lonely if you do it all the time.

I didn't have breakfast, but I knew that we'd eat when we get to Ardmore. I'm sure that Ada has plenty of dining choices but you go to Ardmore to eat and shop at Hobby Lobby.  By the time we were on the outskirts of Ardmore, I asked mom what she wanted to eat.  I'm pretty much fine eating anywhere in Ardmore.  She said, Two Frogs Grill because in her words, "we know the food is good." I couldn't decide on what to have because this was my second time eating there.  My parents have been there numerous times but they always forget to bring me, hmmph.  The first time, I had the sauteed shrimp which was excellent.  This time, I had the fried catfish.  It was awesome! I told mom that I want to go around eating catfish, well as long as it's reputable.  Their catfish was in strips, so it was crunchy.  I'm not a big fan of big fillets because the middle is usually gooey.  Yeah, that doesn't sound good, does it?  My sides were fried okra and red beans.  Mom doesn't make beans enough like grandma did because it's just the three of us. My taste buds are growing because I like onions, tomatoes and beans.  The hushpuppies were excellent too!

After lunch, we went to Bang for Your Buck.  Mom had heard it advertised on the radio.  We were just browsing, so we didn't get anything.  I think sometimes they have some great items but Saturday wasn't the day.

After I got my oil change, we went to the Hallmark store.  The store in Ada had a lot of things on sale but at this one I got some gift bags, a lid for my new Tervis tumbler (that I got for 75% off!) and a card.

That night, I did some laundry and cleaned the den.  It was so nice to sleep on clean sheets!!

Sunday, I decided to go to Sherman, Texas to do some grocery shopping and just to get out of the house.  It seems like most summers, I just stay home with the curtains drawn to help save electricity.  I don't have as many bills this summer, so I wanted to go somewhere.  Plus, like I said earlier, it wasn't raining and no bridges were closed, so I could get out!  I think it's actually easier to get to Sherman than Norman because there's no speed traps and the highways are great with no hills. 

I didn't stay long because that afternoon, my family was getting together for my cousin's belated birthday celebration.  Who doesn't love a pizza party?  I think I'll be an old lady that will have a pizza party.

That was my weekend and I hope more weekends will be great like this!

The Middle of the Summer

It's the 3rd of June and I don't have the air conditioner on at 10 in the morning. I know that there's been a lot of summers where the ac comes on at 7am.  This summer has been strange but I don't mind it. In May, it practically rained all month and then in June, we had Tropical Storm Bill.  I live in Oklahoma mind you, not in south Texas.

The only bad thing about the rain is that I have a leaky roof in several places.  The rain in May started the damage and then the rain in June made it worse.  In June, I actually had rain coming down the chimney.  I had water on top of my stove because water was coming through the oven hood.  I also have leaks in the bathroom (luckily) and then in a spare bedroom.

After mom and I got back home from California, the sun was finally out! While we were there, everyone back home was talking about how hot and humid it was. In California, it was hot but not nearly as humid.  Back home, I loved how the sun felt on my skin even though it was hot.  I was definitely deficient on Vitamin D!

I bought the floppy hat at Cracker Barrel.  I have a large head, so it's difficult to find hats that fit.  Funniest thing is that the sales lady at Cracker Barrel said that the hat was adjustable to fit different sized heads. I said, well, my mom says my head is big.  There was awkward silence and then I laughed.  I didn't know what else to do.  I got my Ralph cat eye sunglasses in March at a glasses sale!

My unit got our Chevy Cruze! Actually, on the 30th, we earned our second car in 3 months! My director will be driving a Chevy Equinox! We are all super excited!  One of my sister consultants, finished her Director in Qualifications and now she is an Independent Sales Director! That is quite an accomplishment!

Buddy, aka Buttercup, Butter-roo and Budro got bit by a snake when he and Talulah were playing down by the creek.  For a few days, he wasn't doing good. He was just laying down but as the days went on, he started feeling better.  I hope that he won't play with snakes any more!

Last Saturday, I had to go to town to run errands and go to the store.  I had missed breakfast time and I didn't feel like fast food, so I decided to go to Hamburger King.  Hamburger King is an old timey diner that makes the best cheeseburger and fries.  In the wintertime, I go there and have chili or frito chili pies.  If you get there early, you can have a great breakfast too!

This holiday weekend, I plan on doing nothing.  By Sunday, I'll wish that I had done something.  I need to really clean my kitchen and inside the bottom cabinets.  I think we're going to take a bunch of stuff to the dump, so I need to get rid of a lot of things that don't really have a use or that I can't give to other people.

For the past month, I've had foot problems. I thought it was from where Jessi had scratched my foot and then I thought it was dry skin because it would hurt when I walked and then I touched the side of my foot. I was talking to a friend and he said it sounded like plantar fasciitis.  I had been wearing some cute Target sandals and rain boots when it rained so much.  I ordered some Croc flip flips to wear around the house, some support inserts for my flats and then some Birkenstocks to wear.  I hope my foot gets to feeling better soon.

Summer Reading

My favorite thing about summer is reading books! Yes, you can do that in the winter but my hands are usually under a blanket trying to stay warm.  Winter is for movies.

I just got through reading Hugo & Rose written by Bridget Foley.  I choose this book from PopSugar's Best 2015 Summer Books for Women.  This was the first book on the list and I just went for it.  It's part surrealist fiction mixed with every day life.  It was quite interesting.  I'm usually partials to romance or a fun read like a Lauren Weisberger book but I'm glad I choose this book because I went out of the box with my reading.

Last summer, I read The Fallback Plan by Leigh Stein.  It is a fun read about the life of moving home after college and figuring life out.  I think we all can relate to this.

When I was working another job years ago, I read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.  This book explores the life of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley, from Hadley's perspective.  It goes from Hadley's life, meeting Ernest, getting married and living in Europe.

I plan on getting more books on my Kindle app and I will update this list!


Links are affiliate Amazon links.

California Dreaming

This was the Red River before we left.  The month of May was just filled with rain, for almost 30 days. I've never seen the Red River this high!

Earlier this month, my mom and I went to California to visit my great-aunt Pauline and her family.  It was a short trip but a fun trip!
My aunt lives in Tracy, California which is near San Jose.  I've been there twice before but this was my mom's first time to Tracy.  My mom had been there when my aunt lived in Mountain View.  One of my aunt's sons came over and mom said it had been 40 years since they all had seen each other.

We landed in San Jose.  Our cousin, Tina lives nearby, so she came by and picked us up.  We were in traffic for a really long time.  You have to weave around hill valleys.  They should have made the roads go on top of the hill and back down but people probably wouldn't be safe drivers.

Saturday morning, we went to eat at a Mexican restaurant.  I could eat Mexican food at any time of the day.  I had a chicken enchilada and chicken flautas.

Sunday we went to Baskin Robins.  I had praline ice cream.  We don't have Baskin Robins here in Oklahoma, so it was a special treat!

We really didn't go on any adventures, which I don't mind.  It had been a long time since I've been on a vacation and I enjoy lazy vacations.  It's nice to eat, sleep, visit and do everything over again.

 On our way to San Jose and on our way back, we had a layover at LAX.  We didn't see any stars.  We got off of our plane and had to underground to another terminal.  When we got off of the escalator, there was a lady with a golf cart.  She asked us if we wanted a ride and we said yes.  We went way across this tunnel to the other terminal.  Later, I told mom that I was glad that lady was there or we'd still be walking.  The terminal that we were at reminded me of how Will Rogers airport looked when I was a toddler.  My grandma and I would go pick up or drop off relatives at the airport.  Back then, you could actually go to the gate even though you didn't have a ticket.

I didn't realize that I needed this short vacation.  I'm sure that my mom needed it too.  I liked it because we didn't do much.  Isn't that what a vacation should be?  I can't wait to go back to California.

Sunday!

It may only be Thursday but I'm ready for Sunday! Sunday, the 19th, the Lilly Pulitzer for Target is available for purchase!

I'm a landlocked girl who dreams of living by the ocean, so this is fantastic! I just hope that it doesn't sell out as soon as possible!

These are my favorites and there are more on their site!  These items would be great additions to my summer wardrobe, which needs new things!  Plus, I'm hopefully going on a little trip at the end of Mary, so this would be fantastic to wear!

The images in the collage are from Target.

Music or Lack Thereof

I don't know if the rest of America knows that their radio station is mostly handled by music executives in New York, Nashville or Los Angeles.  They want to make big bucks, so they manufacture these "artists." These artists aren't even original.

I mainly listen to XM Outlaw Country. Yes, there's a million other channels that I should listen to but I listen to channel 60.  I'd have to say my favorites on there are Cody Canada and Jackson Taylor among others.

My local southern Oklahoma station is great, it's kkaj 95.7.  Yes, they do play some FGL but they do play a lot of Texas and Red Dirt music. The station here in town doesn't, so that's why I listen to the other station.

I wish radio stations got to play what their listeners wanted to listen to instead of pushing someone knew and not so good on us.

My Guilty Pleasure

I love soap operas. My favorites are The Young and the Restless and General Hospital.

When I was a kid, we only had two tv stations, so I was stuck watching either shows on cbs or nbc/abc.

At 2pm, I could escape to the east coast world of Port Charles. I could stop by Kelly's or General Hospital to visit friends.  I loved the nurses ball and the weddings that were on the show.

Now, during dinner my whole family watches The Young and the Restless.  I have it on my dvr in case I can't make it for the 6pm show. It's nice to escape reality for an hour.

Once, my stepdad wished everyone (his kids) could be like me.  Stay home and watch soaps.

The Single Life

I've been single all of my life. For.Real. 

I don't know if it's because I'm an only child, introvert or tall, I've never had a boyfriend.  I don't know why.  There aren't too many guys around here, maybe that's the reason?

I often see people who just got out of relationships wind up with new relationships. Yes, that's a bad idea but how do they do that?  I'm all over here wondering how to get a boyfriend and they're all in love with the next person.

I've went on dates before but they've only been one time things and nothing came about them.

I've had people try to fix me up with people and nothing has worked out. That's just weird and wrong.

A friend once told me not to settle and I won't.  As I'm getting older, that's hard to do.  I don't mind being single but I do want to spend a part of my life with someone.  Every Saturday night can't be spent with my dog and a bowl of popcorn watching 48 Hours.

My family never pushed me to get married.  That's very common in the south, well in southern Oklahoma for that to happen. When a girl starts dating a guy, the mom thinks he's the one for her daughter.  I hate that stigma of well, if you're dating him, lets get ya'll married.  That's just icky and gross.  It will happen in it's own time.

I've often wondered about the man of my dreams and I don't think he exists.

30, 30, 30, Things

Here are 30 things about me!

1. I almost didn't graduate high school because I hadn't taken world history.  I had to drop yearbook and take world history with sophomores.  My teacher wouldn't let me answer any questions because I knew them all.

2.  I'm right handed.

3.  I've taken the jeopardy test in Dallas.  It was pretty hard but at least I can say that I did it.

4. I've been to 4 ballparks and 1 basketball game.

5.  I like the Mavs over the Thunder.  People ask me why and I say because the Mavs were the original home team.

6.  I'm a tomboy.  I'm really not a girly-girl.

7.  My grandma went to beauty school even though she didn't work in a beauty shop after she went to school.  She taught me a lot about beauty and style.  I don't know how I'd look without her.

8.  I'm the only one in my family that's not in science or a teacher.

9. I have 4 dogs and 2 cats.  The cats live with my parents since my dog picked on them.

10.  I've only lived in Oklahoma but lived in Arlington, VA for a few months.

11.  I've interned at the USDA and Commerce Department.

12. My birthday is on Christmas.

13. I'm superstitious.

14. I read my horoscope for entertainment.

15. I don't like to decorate.  I look at magazines and pinterest but don't have the motivation to actually do that.

16.  I love to garden.

17.  I bought a metal detector! I'm going to find riches.

18.  I really want to go dig for diamonds in Arkansas.

19.  I love Cody Canada.

20. I love margaritas.

21. I was once Eloise in a fancy hotel in Dallas.  We saw a wedding, fancy people dressed up and the Dallas Cowboys.

22.  I've been a Dallas Cowboys fan for 33 years.

23.  I've never been to a NFL game. :(

24. I like OSU Cowboys for college sports.

25.  I've been to their football and basketball games.

26. My two favorite places for vacations are Fort Worth and Las Vegas.

27. I don't like math.

28. I have a red car.

29. I'm an only child.

30. I don't want to get married.

Spring Fling Grand Opening

I'm really excited! On Saturday, my Independent Sales Director is helping me and several other team members with our Grand Opening!  If you are local and happen to run across this, it will be Saturday, at 6pm at the Ada Arts & Heritage Center, 400 S. Rennie Avenue.  My sales director is going to give a skin care class and showcase the new spring collection.  We're going to have a great grand prize for attending, asking questions during the presentation, and bringing friends with you.

If you can't make it and are interested, shop online 24 hours a day with me, your Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant at http://www.marykay.com/christinelbrown.

Weekend Fun

Yesterday, I had my first skincare and makeover appointment! My cousin Wendy and her daughters let me come over and practice my skincare and makeup consultations.  To be honest, it wasn't that bad!  It's great to practice with someone that you know.  They actually asked questions and I didn't fumble over them. lol

There is a makeover contest for most of the month of February.  Wendy and Elizabeth got to be entered.  When it is over, they can have their social media friends and family vote for them!

New Things for Me!

I have some exciting news! I have become a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant! Yep, that's a mouthful.  I'm so excited to get this started! Lately, I've wanted to do something that would earn me some extra cash.  What would be better than that and you get to play with makeup?!

My cousin, Julia is a consultant too.  She invited me to a lashes and lips class on Sunday afternoon.  I knew that would be a fun party.  Like I said, I love makeup and why just buy it when you could share with other girls and women how to use it and be beautiful?

If you're interested, shop online 24 hours a day with me, your Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant at http://www.marykay.com/christinelbrown.

P.S. If you're interested in a free makeover, please leave a comment!

Ebay Closet Clean Out!

eBay Listings Widget from Auction Nudge

I listed the things that I had on an instagram closet page. I deleted those listings because I was getting all kinds of spam. Don't you hate that?

The Skimm - Your News in the Morning

All of my life, I've loved the news.  Maybe it was because we only had two television stations and a evening news paper that came daily.  I'm probably weird, but I have to watch the world news because it relaxes me.  I guess it's because I get current events and information that you can't really get anywhere else.

Jessi and I watching the Today Show and reading theSkimm

Some how, some way, I signed up for theSkimm, daily email newsletters.  They start off with a quote of the day by someone who is very important in the news of the previous day/night.  They give you the news in brief paragraphs and get to the point.  This is great because I'll hear snippets of news while I'm getting ready for work and then I can open my email and read what I need to know about U.S. and world events.

Finally, theSkimm was started by two 20-somethings.  Yes, really.  I still consider myself a 20-something.  You're only as young as you feel, right?  I think this shows, that you can do anything with enough ambition and drive.  Yes, I need to tell myself that on cold and gloomy Oklahoma days.  Also, they celebrate other Skimmer's birthdays.  It's fun to see people you know on the list and tweet them happy birthday! Mine was on their day off. :(

If you would like to receive, theSkimm, just click on any of the links above or here, http://www.theskimm.com/?r=2XFDK, easy as that!

My Favorite Necklace

This is my favorite necklace. For Christmas, I got the camera and flower charm from my co-worker Brooke.  My department is always helping hers.  It was really thoughtful to remember me during this busy season.  The stand mixer and muffin tin came from my friend Abbe, from the Goody Good Gift Swap.  I couldn't believe she was able to find these charms.  The necklace that went with this necklace was a little short, so I put them on the other necklace with the camera and flower charm.  I will always remember what my friends mean to me when I wear this.

January Wantable Accesory Box

I've signed up for Wantable emails for awhile. They have regular contests and giveaways.  You may wonder how it works, you fill out a fun questionnaire of what you love, like and don't like.  You can choose from their makeup, intimates, accessories collection and fit edit.   Everything is hand picked by their stylists to match your preference. If you don't like something, you can return it.

I was really excited to get my box!  The neatest thing is that I was going to order a bracelet similar to the Elsa bracelet! It's a good thing that I didn't.  Today I am wearing the Kelly Anne necklace with a navy boatneck 3/4 length shirt.  I love the marsala color.  The Elizabeth necklace is long, which I love!  It will definitely brighten up anything dark.  The Joelle earrings will be great to dress up something simple.

If you would like to sign up, please click on this link, https://www.wantable.com/invites/CnhkKQPhURA.  You can skip months to receive boxes every once in awhile.  You can also fill out the questionnaire to receive the makeup, intimates box or fit edit box.

Fabulous Foodie Swap

Another amazing food/gift exchange was the Fabulous Foodie Swap! My exchange partner was Shelby in California.  She's from Texas, so I knew that she would like my grandma's cornbread recipe, so I sent a jar of the mix and directions, the southwestern 3-bean and barley soup, Bedre chocolate, tea towels and savory spiced pecans.  I also included my famous pumpkin bread recipe.  She said she would enjoy everything.

Oklahoma Goodies

In mine, I got a very cute light blue gingham apron, basil and citrus chicken jerky, chocolate peanut butter bars, pink salt (I've always wanted this!),  caramel ginger candy, gingerbread hot chocolate, prep bowl set and a little jar of jelly.  I really appreciated everything.  We don't have a World Market locally (I think there is one in Oklahoma City).  I love trying new things!

California Goodies

Goody Good Giftswap

Another fun gift swap was the Goody Good Giftswap! My exchange partner was Abee in Indianapolis.  She was pretty much like me, she liked sparkles, sweets, written correspondence, bright colors, traveling and crafting.  I wound up making her the "Never Let Anyone Dull Your Sparkle" sign, got her some gold hair ties, purple nail polish, Southwestern 3-Bean and Barley Soup Mix and some Bedre chocolate.  It was fun to put something together!

In my package, Abbe got me the most amazing necklace with a mixer and muffin tin charm.  (I actually got another necklace with a camera and flower, so I put all of them on one chain.)  I got some chocolate popcorn, coconut lip balm and Abbe's family's carrot cake.

Food52 Secret Food Swap

This was my 2nd year to be a part of the Food52 Secret Food Swap.  You get someone's information that includes if they don't like something or allergic to something.  The person that I sent something to was vegetarian and didn't like ginger.  I wound up getting her some measuring spoons, a jar of Southwestern Three-Bean and Barley Soup, and some tea and sugar from a local spice shop.

The package I received was from Washington State.  I got South of the Border Chocolate Cookies, Sweet and Spicy Pretzel and Nut Mix, Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam, Pickled Jicama, Smoked Alder Sea Salt and Salted Almond Dark Chocolate.

Everything was greatly enjoyed and was delicious.  I haven't used the tomato jam yet but I think I may put it on top of meatloaf. I've used the smoked alder sea salt in my savory pecans.

Gifts from Washington State

Pie, Pies and More Pies

I make pies for friends and family.  It's a really small-small word of mouth operation.  I don't have enough time to advertise or I know I'd get overwhelmed. 

This is me after making 13 or 14 pie crusts from scratch.

A pumpkin pie with pumpkin decorative crust.

The famous pecan pie.  The secret is to not as much syrup mixture as it calls for. Save 1/4 cup or so, so that the syrup doesn't boil over onto your cookie sheet.  Always use a pie crust cover to protect your crust from burning and spray it with nonstick spray so it won't stick to the cover.

I don't make my pie 45 minutes like it says.  I set the timer for 35 minutes and let the syrup harden.  If it doesn't look like it will, I put it back in the oven to let it bake more.

This Thanksgiving, I tried different crust techniques.  With this, I braided the crust and joined them together.

This was a cherry pie for Christmas.  I made the top crust and decorated it with snowflakes.

Crafty Christmas

It was a crafty Christmas around here.  I made most of my Christmas gifts.  I started working on them before Thanksgiving.

I go a little crazy about chalk boarding stuff! It's so fun and easy.  This sign went to a new friend in Indianapolis with a goody goody gift swap package. (I'll have to blog about that soon!)

These were supposed to be my shoes that went with my "Clarice, Rudolph's girlfriend" outfit.  Due to potential bad weather, I didn't get to go to my friends New Years Eve party.  It was a "dress as your favorite Christmas character.  I couldn't find a white fur shrug to be one of the Haynes' sisters from White Christmas, so Clarice was the next best thing.  I just mod podged some red glitter to the bow of these shoes.

These initials were supposed to be for Allie and Mena's chalkboards but I decided that they were too big. It was fun to finally use the glitter that I've had forever!

Excuse the messy kitchen, these Rudolph Coke's went to my stepdad and uncle.  All you need is little cokes, googgly eyes, red pom pons and brown pipe cleaners!

I found this at Hobby Lobby and decided to spray paint the board with chalkboard paint and then coated the stand and top with a layer of black paint and red paint on top of it.  I lightly sanded them so it would look worn.  I then sprayed glossy acrylic spray to protect the paint.  I just reversed the lettering and traced over it with chalk and then rubbed it onto the board.  I made two of these and both friends loved them!

Here are Mena and Allie's chalkboards. I first sprayed the inside with chalkboard paint, then painted the edge with pink acrylic paint and then used painters tap and made stripes.  I then sprayed the boards with gold and silver spray paint.

I also made my cousin Wendy an embroidered flour sack fowl and added a fabric ruffle to the bottom.  I finished it Christmas morning so I wasn't able to take a picture of the finished product!

You don't have to spend a lot of money on Christmas.  Handmade gifts mean the most and they'll always be remembered.

Christmas Baking Overview

Christmas was exactly a month ago.  I'm slowly un-decorating my house.  It's so sad to just take away all of the pretty things at once.

For the Christmas season, I love to make my friends and family cookies.  I usually deliver them a week before Christmas when everybody is still at work.  My main cookies that I make are cut out sugar cookies, gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies.  I use the same recipe for the sugar and chocolate chip cookies but I wanted to try something different for the gingerbread cookies.  I really liked Very Best Baking's Chocolate Gingerbread because it was really easy to cool in the fridge and then roll out.  I've tried some other gingerbread recipes before where it's really hard to roll out and cut.  This year, for our department get together, we had a cookie exchange, I made red velvet thumbprint cookies with cream cheese frosting in the thumbprint.  They were so yummy because I rolled the outside in sanding sugar.

Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Sugar Cookies

The week that I was off work, there was a small time frame to make Divinity.  To make Divinity, it has to be during the day and at least 40% humidity or lower.  The weather here in Oklahoma for the month of December was wet and cloudy, not Divinity making weather.  Divinity does take plenty of practice! I kept checking the weather to see when there was that time frame for great humidity.  It was at 3pm.  It actually turned out and I gave it to a friend who loves it.

The same day that I made the Divinity, I made the Cherry-Lime Pistachio Pralines from Better Homes & Garden.  They were really good but I think they got harder then they should.

Cold Morning Pumpkin Whole Wheat Waffles

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Back in the summer, I made pumpkin waffles with my old heart shaped waffle maker and put them in the freezer.  I would warm them up in the skillet with some coconut oil until they were crispy.  I ran out of them a few weeks ago.  I had some eggs that I needed to use, so I decided to make waffles in my new Belgian waffle maker. 

I have a funny story about waffles.  It was about 4 or 5 years ago, I was without an oven for a few months.   Luckily, this wasn't near any holidays.  On Sunday's, I experimented and make different kinds of waffles.  I made pecan ones, pumpkin ones and ones I found in cookbooks.

On weekend mornings, I want a big breakfast but don't want to get out in the cold.  These waffles, with  bacon and a big cup of coffee will be a delicious breakfast.

Pumpkin Whole Wheat Waffles

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• Ingredients
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 16 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons coconut nectar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

• In a medium bowl, stir together the milk, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, eggs, coconut nectar and vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, wheat flour, flax seed, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients slowly with the wet ingredients until well mixed.
• Spray waffle maker with cooking spray and pour batter onto the iron, about 1/2 cup of batter.  Cook according your waffle maker's instructions.
• In my Belgian waffle maker, it make 8 large waffles, so if you have a smaller waffle maker, you may have more waffles.

If you don't have the coconut oil, coconut nectar or flax seed, just substitute with what you have.  It will be yummy with syrup and bacon!