Josie and Tristan, SB Kit Completed

I haven't posted about my niece and nephew in a while. Josie is 8 and Tristan is 4. Today Josie was in the nutcracker and played a cute little mouse. This was her 3rd year to be in the nutcracker and I think she really enjoyed being a mouse since she kept acting like one even after the show. She's still in Nutcracker makeup and in her cute new sweater. Doesn't she look like a sweet adorable Christmas snow elf? Exactly why when I saw it, I bought it. It was one of those Just because gifts. Now where do I find cute little boy sweaters that do not cost much. the one below was a find at TJ Max for just $14.99. It even has a tiny touch of sequins and beads on the sleeve hem which she loved. She's a future Silver Bella!

This is the best picture of my nephew that I managed to take in a week. At 4 he just moves to fast for me.

Oh and I did get around to finishing one SB class kit, funny thing it wasn't one of the classes I took in Omaha just one I bought from Jenny Heid after I got home.

Wizard of Oz Tree

Ruby Red Slippers Under Tree
Originally uploaded by Valita's View

A small view of my Wizard of Oz Tree. I have been collecting Wizard of Oz ornaments for years, mostly Hallmark ones, but I do have others and yet this is the first year since I started collecting them over 15 years ago that they have been hung on a tree. All of these years they have been in their boxes in a large container in several different closets along the way waiting for this day until I had enough to fill a tree and to be honest they really only fill 3/4 of the tree since the tree is in a corner I didn't decorate the back.

At first I thought they would never make a cute tree and I wanted a more elegant tree, but you know what with the red glitter balls and clear bubble like balls and ornaments I love how it turned out.

My dog Walker gets spooked by the ornaments that make sounds espcially the one That says "I am the great and powerful Oz..."

Now I think I only want the Hallmark ornaments and/or ones with the movie images. I have some that are not the movie type but are still Oz ornaments. I signed up with flickr tonight so you can see more photos of the tree over there. Now to work on my Banner tomorrow night.T

The sore on my elbow is getting better. It is still yucky and oozy but it appears the antibiotics are working thankfully. It still hurts like somethign fierce and it kept me up most of the night last night, so tonight I am taking some Tylenol PM. I sure wish I had accepted the pain killer prescription the Dr was willing to give me yesterday if I wanted it.

Doctor's Visit and (Cookie Recipe's below!)

Additional update on December 4th. For some reason I decided to go to the Doctor because of a small yucky looking bump on my elbow and I guess it was good I went because my Doctor thinks I have a staph infection! UGH!!!! Sunday afternoon a small bumped appeared on my left elbow and it hurt, like a pimple. By Sunday night it hurt worse and looked infected but it was still a tiny bump. By Monday my elbow hurt when I got to work, so I raided the medicine cabinet and placed some antibiotic ointment on it along with a band aid. I woke up this morning and it was worse and boy does it ever hurt. It is about 2" around, hard and it hurts like double hockey sticks. The doctor told me looked like Staph and I need to watch it over the next few days and take some medicine. It needs to get soft if it doesn't I have to go back to the doctor's and if it gets worse I have to go to the hospital. But on another note I get to work from home for a couple of days. My boss doesn't want me at work. Imagine that! I had long sleeves on all day so no one saw my sore. What confuses me is how I got this bump? I didn't have an open sore, or any type or anything on my elbow, so all I can think of is I was bitten by something while I slept Saturday night. It is very weird.

On a side note my Wizard of Oz Christmas tree is up. I used red as an accent color and I kinda like the tree after all. I bought some glittery red balls from Hobby Lobby last week and some clear iridescent glass ball ornaments ( ya know like what Glinda use to get around in Oz), and two boxes of ruby red gems I bought at Pottery Barn two season ago that I have never used until now. I wasn't ever sure how I was going to use them and they add the right sparkly touch to my tree. ( Picture to go here soon)

It's Cookie Time

Jessi Nagy is hosting a Cookie Party today! Click on her name to go to her site to see who all else is playing along.

I found the recipe below in a newspaper many years ago and it always gets rave reviews whenever I make it. It is a bar cookie but I try to make it this time very year. I often alter the extras that go in it since i do not like pecans and my family does. sop I have played with other chocolate morsels that go in it like White Chocolate and such in lieu of butterscotch and pecans



Blondie Cookie Recipe



Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips (feel free to add other flavors. I like white chocolate)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°.
Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan
Into one bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt.
In second bowl beat together butter & sugars until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beat after each addition.
Beat in evaporated milk & vanilla.
At low speed add flour mixture to butter and sugar mix.
Fold in chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and chopped nuts
Spread batter in pan.
Bake at 375° for about 25 minutes, or until blondies are golden brown.
Test with a toothpick at center and it should come out clean.
Cool blondies completely in pan.
Cut blondies into squares to serve.

*****Another Great Recipe*********

Ok so these are not technically cookies either, but around the Baxley house it isn't Christmas if these are not around to snack on during the Holidays. If you love Peanut Butter and Chocolate this is for you! This is a fun recipe to do make with kids.

Peanut Butter Balls


2 lbs of Powdered Sugar
2 Cups of Smooth Peanut Butter (unless of course you want crunchy ones!) A hint here is to try and buy a Peanut Butter that is firm and doesn't have lot s of oil in it. If you can see the Peanut oil form at the top of the jar do not get that jar of Peanut Butter it will make rolling the balls difficult.
2tsp Vanilla
4 Sticks of Butter ( yes, this is not a recipe for anyone on a diet! It is best made with butter and not margarine.)

Cream together and form into bite size balls.


1 large bag of Semi Sweet chocolate chips
3/4 bar of Parfane Wax (yes wax, the canning kind, but you never taste it. It just makes the balls nice and shiny)

Melt wax and chocolate in a double boiler. Dip balls into the chocolate. Let cool on waxed paper.
Very easy recipe just a little time consuming. I remember making these with my mom. I rolled and she dipped.

Sorry Wet Paint!

Sorry I have not posted more since I got back from Silver Bella. It has been such a whirlwind for me and I haven't had time to relax yet. I am busy painting my great room right now. I picked a color called BeachWalk. I love it It is a warm Tuscan gold color. It is what I used in my kitchen and dumb me forgot to go with a flat color for my living room. I am almost done now with the eggshell enamel finish so I guess for now it will just be a bit shiny and not as matte a I would like. Dumb, Dumb me. It does look 100 times better than the builder beige color it was so I feel good about that. I am trying to finish this week so I can decorate for Christmas and join Karla's Holiday Decorating Party. My living room is a mess and it is driving me crazy! I just have one wall left and some touch ups on the others. I may just wait on the trimming touch ups until this weekend. I still have my small hallway to paint but that may wait until after Christmas who knows. I guess it all depends if I want to finish it all this weekend or not.

My craft room is a whirlwind and I want to clean it up so I can finish my Silver Bella projects and start the ones I bought. on a side note I am 90% done with my Christmas shopping and it feels great! I just have a few left to buy and then a few to make and some baking to do for the guys at work. That is going to be my gift to all of them this year.

So stay tuned. I will try and take some before and after pictures of my living room. At least with taking on the living room any other room in my house I decide to paint will feel like nothing now. Next up my bedroom and my guest room sometime during my Christmas break.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Ok have some fun and go try this link out Elf Yourself