Happy Halloween!!

TRicK - oR - TrEaT !!

What activities do you participate in to celebrate Halloween??

My favorite activity is crafting special decor!  I was hoping to share my Happy Halloween wreath with you last week, but I will be thankful I can share it with you today... on Halloween!  The wreath is hand made by yours truely. It is indeed one of my favorite creations!

 

recovered!

I am celebrating the return of our laptop and the blessing that my photos were able to be retrieved, backed up, and are viewable!!  So, so, so very thankful!  I took time today and went back and viewed the photos of my precious son when he was born and special family events that I documented.  My heart is so happy that I still can view the images from those special moments in time.
Restoring the rest of the laptop is a work in progress.  Today's success story is connecting to the network, installing anti-virus software and accessing the internet. Wahoo!

hard drive gone bad

Good evening! I come to you via my husband's iPad to give a quick update regarding my lack of blog posts this week. Is the following task on your "to do" list: Back up photos and documents from computer. (?) If it is, DO IT NOW!!!  I am currently waiting to hear from my computer repair man regarding my 20k photos and if they were successfully retrieved following the failure of the hard drive on our 2year old hp laptop. Let me tell you of the heartache I've experienced the last week while in waiting. It is nothing I wish on anyone. I made the goal to take at least one photo of our son everyday of his life...and that is just a glimpse of the memories stored in on my computer. Now, I do have some photos stored on an external hard drive but the last time we went to back them up the external hard drive did not have enough space left (and hearing I have 20,000 photos I understand how it got full so fast!) so many are only on the computer.  I am very hopeful the files are readable and usable!
I must admit that a week without a computer has really been an eye-opening experience! I have not been on Pinterest for a week and I'm still alive and functioning...and was even able to craft and cook without consulting a pin! I have spent more time with my husband and realized I need to close the laptop more when I have it back in my possession to invest in relationships. I have realized that Facebook is overrated and those I truly care about make personal phone calls! (Although I do love looking at photos & keeping up with random happenings!) I do miss posting on the blog and of course I had some fun things planned to share with you-so as soon as I get my photos back...I will get a posting!
So, thank you for your understanding and patience! Please continue to visit the blog as I will return as soon as I'm able!

favorite cookies

My little love has recently demonstrated a joy in the kitchen and wants to help
momma cook and bake.  I must make him his own little man apron!

It was a rainy fall day here in Michigan on Friday; perfect for staying inside and baking!  My husband has been begging requesting me to make his favorite pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies the last few weeks.  Then, I had a friend from MOPS contact me for the recipe as I shared the cookies with my table last year.  And so I started to feel the need to make the scrumptious cookies...I just knew that once they were mixed up in our home they were going to be a great temptation to eat them all...quickly! I finally gave in and little love and I spent the morning in the kitchen measuring, stirring, taste testing and baking cookies!  They are by far the best pumpkin cookies we have ever enjoyed and are loved year-round in our home!  If you want the recipe, you can click on the link to my blog post: Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies published last fall.  I'll admit that a large portion of the dough never even has the opportunity to make it into the stove as it is enjoyed by the spoonful right from the bowl in the fridge.  I told you they are a huge temptation...but oh, so good!

Don't they look amazingly delicious??  They are!  Go print the recipe and try them as soon as possible!

{gift giving} hot pink zebra tie shirt

Today I would like to share the shirt I made for my dear friend's daughter.  I mentioned the shirt in my weekend recap post and promised to share the final product.  I initially began making tie onesies for my little love and then started to sell them in my etsy.com store.

{Click on the photo to go to my etsy store listing}

My friend knew that I made and sold tie onesies and inquired if I had considered making them for older children.  Her daughter had purchased a shirt with a tie on it from a retail store and unfortunately grew out of it and had to pass it down to her sister.  My friend had been on a search for a new tie shirt in her daughter's size but was unsuccessful.  When we were invited to the birthday party of my friend's daughter, the idea of the tie shirt resurfaced.  I created a tie from black and hot pink zebra print cuddle cotton fabric and placed it on a black long-sleeved shirt.  I created a different style tie than the style featured on the onesies. The new look is a loose-fitted tie hanging on a slant from the collar. This shirt totally fits the style of my friend's daughter and I was so excited to give it to her as a gift for her 10th birthday!

 

 

 If you are ever looking for a custom made item, please contact me as I love new projects and the opportunity to make your vision a reality! 

creativity

10.18.12
I am thankful for my gift of creativity.  God has blessed me with the opportunity to use my creativity in many ways and I am so blessed. From creating curriculum and activities for my Kindergarten classroom, decor for my wedding, gifts for friends, teaching classes at JoAnn Fabric & Craft Store, making items for family members, preserving photo memories, selling my work on etsy, and documenting my journey here on my blog.   It brings me such joy to create and share my gift! My best days are ones that include creating something.  What do your best days include?

{MWW} Enchilada Soup

The change of seasons and the cooler weather is an invitation for soup to find its way onto the menu in our home.  I must admit that I am picky regarding the soups I consume, but this Enchilada Soup gets a gold star from me! I hope that you will be inspired to make this soup and that it will provide comfort and warmth on a blustery fall or winter day!

This is another tried-and-true recipe from my Pillsbury slow cooker cook book.  Read below for recipe directions and my commentary from preparing the meal for my family.

Pillsbury photo documentation of meal:

 Enchilada Soup

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Start to Finish:  7 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
 {directly taken from the Pillsbury Slow Cooker book I own}

2 cups Progresso chicken broth (from 32oz carton)

1 can (19oz) Old El Paso mild or hot enchilada sauce

1 can (4.5oz) Old El Paso chopped mild green chiles

1 package (20oz) bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed

1 can (15oz) Progresso black beans, drained, rinsed

1 bag (12oz) Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Niblets frozen corn, thawed, drained

Shredded Mexican cheese blend, if desired

Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Crushed tortilla chips, if desired

My commentary regarding the ingredients:
I substituted the chicken for some turkey breast fillets I needed to use up.  I still used chicken broth with turkey as the meat.  It tasted just fine.  I always purchase the cheapest brand so our chicken broth was Meijer and not Progresso, our corn was from a Green Giant can and our black beans were not Progresso.  Fear not, it all tasted the same!  I did however purchase Old El Paso brand for the mild enchilada sauce and mild green chiles.  I failed to read the amount correctly to realize I needed 19oz so one of my cans was a 10pz can of green enchilada sauce I had in the pantry and one was a 10oz can of regular red enchilada sauce I purchased. I did not use cilantro but definitely added cheese and chips...and sour cream!

Directions:

 {directly taken from the Pillsbury Slow Cooker book I own.  All photos below were taken by me in the preparation process.}

Spray 4-5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.  In cooker, mix broth, enchilada sauce and chiles.  Place chicken into enchilada sauce mixture; spoon sauce over chicken.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting for 7 to 8 hours.

Remove chicken from cooker with slotted spoon.  
Stir beans and corn into mixture in cooker. 
Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, shred chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks; return to cooker.
Cook until thoroughly heated.

 

Top each serving with cheese, cilantro and tortilla chips.

My commentary regarding the directions:
I did not alter the directions given.  I can confess that the slow cooker remained on the High setting for a couple hours following dinner while we ran some errands and the juice cooked off and we are now serving the left overs as burritos! So, whatever form you choose to serve this meal in - enjoy!!