Creamy Lemon Tarts

"When life give you lemons.....Make lemon Tart!"

This lemon tart isn't like most I've seen. Its creamy and more on the cheese cake side. But don't get confused...Its NOT cheese cake. Just creamy like one. I have to give my mom all the credit on this one. This is her recipe. One of the family favorites. Mom always asked each of her children what kind of dessert we want for our birthday. Let me say, four out of six of us were born in May. Someone always asked for the lemon tart. Not that its me every time or anything, im just saying.

It was so easy to make, a kid could do it.

Lemon Tart
2 blocks cream cheese (room temperature)
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Lemon Juice ( more or less to your liking)

With a mixer, cream the cream cheese (Not doing this first will cause lumps)
Add the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice and continue to cream all together.
Pour into graham cracker pie crust.
Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

Mom makes her own graham cracker crust, makes it thick and puts it in a casserole dish. Its the best but I was in a hurry. I used the small premade pie crusts and halved the recipe.

These little pies are so sweet and tarty. Perfect for a quick treat or a party.

Enjoy


Ive shared this at:
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
mix-it-up-monday at flourmewithlove
amaze-me-Monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
nifty-thrifty-tuesday at linda-coastalcharm
momstheword--livingforhim
made-by-me-123-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio
something-fabulous-wednesday at roubinek 
your-whims-wednesday at mygirlishwhims  
worthwhile-wednesdays at thecraftiestallie  
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
anything-goes-linky at bacontimewiththehungryhypo
cityofcreativedreams

Crochet For a Laugh

The other day I was looking around on the internet when I came across some funny pictures of mice, ferrets, chickens and even frogs wearing hats. It was the most usual yet cutest thing.

My mind began wondering and a thought popped into it.  I immediately messaged one of my friends that I knew had guinea pig. I asked her "if I were to make it a hat, would she take a photograph of it?".  She agreed without hesitation. We both thought it would be a good laugh and who doesn't need a good laugh every day?

Soon as I got home and settled, I grabbed my needle and some scrap yarn and started crocheting a little hat. It was so fun, I ended up making her three.

Here is a picture of her guenia pig wearing the green hat. She said it was hard to keep him still so its the best she could get. I guess he was just really excited and was ready for his lucky charms.

She also sent me a picture of the other two hats. I just thought the green one was the cutest and it was near St. Patrick's Day at the time.. It did bring on a good laugh.

When my nephew seen what I had done, he asked if I could make him some kind of hat for a guinea pig that he was soon going to purchase for his girlfriend. So I did. Both of them have a love for farming and horses so......

I made it a cowboy hat. Which brought on another laugh. I cant wait to see pictures of her guinea pig wearing it.
I do not plan to make any more tiny animal hats but it I just had to give it a try. I love how they all turned out and I hope it made you smile a little bit.


Ive shared this at:
f mix-it-up-monday at lourmewithlove
amaze-me-monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
nifty-thrifty-tuesday at linda-coastalcharm
tell-me-about-it-tuesday at sweetsillysara
made-by-me-122-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio
your-whims-wednesday at mygirlishwhims
something-fabulous-wednesday at roubinek
hookin-on-hump-day at mymerrymessylife
city-of-links-party at cityofcreativedreams
nifty-thrifty-sunday at niftythriftythings  

Veggie Spread

This is one of my favorite "trip to the beach" snacks.
"Veggie spread sandwiches".

It all started when my husband and I took our first family beach trip years ago. His mother made us these little finger sandwiches to snack on during our trip. They quickly became a tradition.

Twenty-Two years later, I still make up a batch of this stuff before we leave on a trip. I have also had to make it several times for my daughter while she was in college.

Its simple to make and has that refreshing taste of summer garden.

Vegetable Spread

1 block cream cheese
2 small cucumbers or one large (grated)
1 tablespoon onion (grated)
3 baby carrots (grated)
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
salt / pepper

Mix together well and refrigerate at least one hour.
NOTE: Sometimes the cucumbers will have a lot of water in them, so I squeeze out any excess water before mixing.

This spread is tasty on bagels, and crackers too!
There are no rules to making this, you can adjust the amounts to your own tastes.

Enjoy!




I've shared this at:
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
mix-it-up-monday at flourmewithlove
amaze-me-monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage

DIY Heat Buddies

I've been home all weekend with a daughter that's recovering from a tonsillectomy. Let me just say, She's 22 and the older you are, the worst these things can be.

Its day 5 and the pain continues to get stronger every day. She has tried to eat the best she can. Everyone tells us, "ice cream, Ice, and popsicles!" Well with this girl, that's not the solution. She has discovered warm feels better than cold. However, we are trying to make sure she gets cold stuff on that throat so she does not suffer bleeding during the healing process. That's our biggest fear and concern right now.

Her ears are giving her a lot of pain and again, ice is not working. So I thought fast and went to my all time favorite solution for discomfort pain...."heat buddies".

They are really simple to do and work perfect in a rush. If you have a sewing machine, you can make all kinds of cute shapes but I have yet to learn how to thread my machine so sewing aint gonna happen any time soon. {I need my Mom for that}. So, I ran to the single convention that my socks were having in the laundry area and grabbed a couple lonely footies. I filled them with rice and tied a knot in the end. I put them in the microwave for one minute and they were ready to use.

She held them against her ears and fell asleep. The rice produces a nice moist heat that is very comforting. These nifty little things will stay warm for about an hour. They are also great in the winter, to throw in your pockets to keep your hands warm when you are going to be outside for a period of time.

They can be reheated several times until the rice just gives up.

Warning: These may be too hot at first. Please let them cool for a couple minutes if you are sensitive to heat. Heat factor depends on the thickness of the sock as well as the microwave wattage.


Ive shared this at:
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
amaze-me-Monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
nifty-thrifty-tuesday at coastalcharm
Handmade tuesdays at ladybug-blessings
create-link-inspire at thecraftyblogstalker
made-by-me-121-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio
something-fabulous-wednesday at roubinek

Rapunzel Project

"Rapunzel Rapunzel, Let down your hair"

That quote is all I know from the fairy tail. To be honest, I haven't even see the movie "Tangled".

The other day, one of my customers from my Etsy shop sent me a request. She asked if I could make a hat for a friend of hers whose daughter was a patient at St. Judes Hospital. She said the little girl was starting to loose her hair and wanted to give her something special. She showed me a photo example of the hat that was in her mind. I had to do some searching around. I needed to see some pictures of Rapunzel. At first I was hesitant because I wasn't sure I could do the whole hair braid thing. It wasn't but within a couple hours, I decided I could do this and I was going to make one for this precious child. Somehow I would figure it out.

I began crocheting a hat. That was the easiest part for me. My daughter likes to craft so I asked her if she would make some felt flowers for the hat. Neither one of us knew how this would turn out. I just crocheted and she cut.
Then with a little glue and ribbon, we pulled it off. I think it turned out lovely.

 

 

I ended up giving her the hat. I really hope it fits her. I can only imagine what it would be like to have a sick child. I do not know who this person is but I wish her and her family the best and sending out prayers for them all. And to my customer who requested this gift, you are a very thoughtful and generous person. People like you are few.

I do not plan to make another hat but I have made a couple Rapunzel headbands by request.

Want one? Right now, you can purchase a Rapunzel head band from my Etsy shop.

Blessings


Ive shared this at:
ladybug-blessings
your-whims-wednesday at mygirlishwhims
made-by-me-120-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa
under-100-link-party at beyondthepicketfence
create-link-inspire at thecraftyblogstalker
freedom-fridays-with-all-my-bloggy at myturnforus
Think Pink Sunday at flamingotoes
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy Featured
hookin-on-hump-day at mymerrymessylife
yarn-party-time-excellent at bugaboominimrme

Crochet Dish Cloths

Winter is about over and frankly, I'm tired of making crochet beanies. I still receive special request to make different baby hats but I plan to create more spring items until the fall.

One of my favorite things to make and just in time for spring cleaning are these nifty little dish cloths.

They are also perfect to use as wash cloths, car washer, dust rags and window cleaners. They are so versatile, you can use them for any thing from baby butts to mechanic rags.

I create them using my newly found crochet stitch called the "up-down stitch". This same stitch has other names for it too such as "lemon stitch" and "seed stitch".
Unlike nasty germ collecting sponges, you can toss these in the washer and use over and over. They will shrink a little since I used 100% cotton. Actually, they work and look better after they are washed.

If you do not crochet and want some of these nice little cleaner uppers, I will have some in my Etsy shop soon. If you do crochet and want to make some for yourself, here is the instructions how I make them.

CROCHET DISH/WASH CLOTHS
chain stitch an odd number (I chained 25 using an H hook)
Mine turned out 7 inches by 7 inches. You can make it any size you want.

Ch 25, turn
Row 1- sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each st across, ch 1 turn,
Row 2- sc in first st, dc in next st, sc in next- repeat sc,dc to end, ch 1 turn
Repeat row 2 until you have a square.
(you will notice you are sc in the dc from previous row and dc in sc from previous row).

Hope I didn't confuse you to much.
You are welcome to make and sale what you make with my pattern. I just hope you will link your project back to me. But if not, well that's ok too. You can find similar patterns all over the web. You also may be interested in my swiffer pad pattern as well.


Ive Shared this at:
whats-on-my-needles-wednesday at ababyssmile  featured
made-by-me-119-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio Featured
create_link_inspire_linky_party at thecraftyblogstalker
freedom-fridays at myturnforus
under-100-link-party at beyondthepicketfence 
kitchen-fun-crafty-friday-link-party at kitchenfunwithmy3sons
submarine-sunday at usscrafty

Cilantro Lime Rice

This past weekend has been busy with a trip to the beach. The weather was a nice 70 degrees but a little windy. I walked into the ocean but the water was freezing cold as usual for this time of year. We had a great time. I really hated having to leave and get back to work.

With that being said, I totally forgot about getting my traditional St. Patrick's Day Corn beef brisket. I was pretty bummed about it. I always look forward to that each year. We had pork chops instead. The pork chops were delicious too.

I had to make something green to celebrate so I decided to make this Cilantro lime rice.

It was not a big hit with my husband but me and my daughter really liked it. I love anything with cilantro. I think it will go great with fish or tacos.

It was so easy to make.
All you do is cook two cups rice then mix about a 1/4 cup or more of chopped cilantro and the juice of one lime.

That's it. This dish explodes with flavor!

Now I hear my brother in law is making a corn beef brisket. I may have to make a trip across the neighborhood soon.

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY !

Ive shared this at:

Handmade Tuesdays at ladybug-blessings
your-whims-wednesday at mygirlishwhims
made-by-me at jaqsstudio 
raisiebay.com
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa
full-platethursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
 

No Ice Cream Banana Split

Who says you cant break rules and enjoy a banana split without the ice cream?
Ok all of you out there wanting to eat healthy and still have a sweet treat without the guilt. Your going to love this.

I just created a banana split using all good stuff. I can call it a banana split because I DID split the bananas right?

• Get a banana and split it in half long ways.
• Drizzle a teaspoon of melted peanut butter onto it.
• Add a mixture of fresh fruit such as strawberries, apples, blueberries, pineapple, etc....
• Add a scoop of sugar free cool whip on top of that and sprinkles with nuts or almonds.
• Now enjoy!

Perfectly healthy and the peanut butter adds protein. You can even add your favorite yogurt in there somewhere.

This is a great way to enjoy a snack without the fat and calories of Ice cream. Not saying its better, but that its better for you if your on a diet. My favorite part is the sugar free cool whip ( not "fat free" its just nasty).You will never know the sugar is not in there. I love that stuff.

Ive shared this at:
ladybug-blessings 
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa  
made-by-me-118-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio
your-whims-wednesday at mygirlishwhims  
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage  Featured
showcase-talent-thursday at whatscookinglove

Phlebotomy Certified!

I cant hold it in any longer. I am now a certified phlebotomist! I am so excited. Call me weird but I have always wanted to be a phlebotomist. I am so thankful for my friend Tammy for telling me where to find this opportunity.

It was quite a challenge for me. I kept this achievement secret for a couple reasons. Only a handful of people knew I was going for this certification. I did not want to take a chance on hearing any negative remarks to interfere with what I wanted to do. I studied like crazy and never got bored of it. I'm just not a good test taker. I was so nervous about the final exam. The National Exam was not too easy and two weeks waiting on the results were agonizing. I lost sleep. I mean after all, I had put a lot of "sweat and blood" into this. Literally!

Class was fun. It was a small class of only eight women and two instructors. It lasted ten weeks. In those ten weeks, I took challenging test which some were perfect and some were below average (go figure). I was interested in the studies the whole time and could not wait for the next class so I could learn more things.

We were already doing capillary sticks within the first 3 weeks. That was painfully easy.

Here I am doing my first finger stick and trying to get the blood in the tube.

Then we moved on to venipuncture. We had to have so many successful sticks to pass the class. We started with an orange. This is where we got comfortable holding the needle steady.

  You can see who the sympathetic one in the class was, now cant we?

The next week we moved on to dummy arms. After one stick to the dummy, I was ready, and the instructors let us practice on each other. We did half our sticks using class mates.

 Here I am doing my very first blood draw.

I was some body's first stick! eeesh. It was perfect. Everyone of was good at it. I think it came natural. My arms looked like a drug user so I had to keep them covered. Eventually I had to tell a few friends what I was up to because I knew I could no longer do this on my own. We had a stick-a-thon, where we had to ask friends and family to come in and let us use them to get our stick quota. That was fun.

Whats Next for me? 
I'm going to continue to learn all I can about phlebotomy and study more the order of draw. I do not plan to leave my current full time job any time soon. However, Id love to do phlebotomy on an "as needed" bases or some weekends for a while until I get some experience. This will gives me a direction to head towards one day. Id love to be in a more professional environment. Its scary but exciting to think about what my future holds.

Special thanks to my daughter and those that offered themselves to be my guinea pig. Also a special thanks to my husband and the ones that continued to keep my confidence on high. They have no idea how much they all helped me and how much I appreciate them.

Chicken Avocado Salad

I normally will make chicken salad with chicken, celery, almonds, and mayonaize. In celebration of St.Patricks Day. I like to find green things to make all month. One thing I discovered was this awsome chicken salad. Its made with all things green.

I love avacodo and cilantro so I knew this would be a hit.


Once all the ingredients are mixed together, its makes a pretty green chicken salad and the taste is out of this world. The lime and cilantro are the perfect combination. You can taste it all in there.

You make this using as much or as little of each indigents you like but I'm going to share how I actually made it.

Chicken Avocado Salad
3 boiled and chopped boneless chicken breast.
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 ripe peeled and smashed avacados
juice from 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup mayonaise.
salt / pepper

mix together.
Serve on crackers, bread, on a salad or rolled in a romain lettuce leaf (which was my favorite choice).

This may just be my new way of making chicken salad.

Original recipe can be found at  all my good things blog 

Add Social Link Buttons on your Blogger

I have found an easy way to add social buttons to my blog. I'm going to try and spell out the way to do it. Its such an easy way of adding buttons to your blogger page without any fancy mapping or html code locating. Its easier than the other way I shared before using a mapping site. I would have probably used the mapping site if my computer was working right at the time, but it worked out in my favor because if it weren't for the fail, I would have not figure this way out.
I still need to do some work on mine. The ones I'm using now were just a first shot at it. Now that I know it works, I plan to make some prettier one soon.

Here goes.

Find some buttons you like. There are many sites where you can download fancy icons or just create your own and save them in your photo file or where ever.

 (example)

1.  In Blogger, open a new post ( you will not be publishing this, you will just be using it only for this task)
2.  Now, choose "HTML" (this is so there are no gaps between your icons)
3.  Click "insert image" and add your images. (make sure you choose each one then click add)
4.  Now, Choose "Compose"
5.  On each icon, click once and then click "Link" icon and paste the correct link you want the button to go too. (your face book address, Twitter address, etc...).
6.  Now that each one is linked, Click again on "HTML' and copy that whole code.
7.  You can save this now but like I said, do not publish it.
8.  On blogger, go to "layouts"
9.  Click on "add a gadget"
10.  Choose "HTML/JavaScript"
11.  Paste the code you just copied and, Boom! There you have it.

Hope that was simple enough for ya. 

Parmesan Crusted Bread

The house was smelling good Sunday afternoon as I was making some homemade bread. I know, bad thing for someone trying to diet, but I could not stand it any longer. I wanted to make some of this bread for a long time and finally gave in to it.

Parmesan Crusted Bread

1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/ 1/4 cup Milk

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 large egg

3/4 cup sour cream

Stir 1/2 cup grated cheese, flour, baking powder, salt together.

Stir in milk, egg, butter and sour cream. (Blend just until combined.)

Preheat oven 350

Spray 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray

Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on the bottom of pan

Spoon in batter

Sprinkle rest of cheese on top.

Bake 1 hour or until top becomes a golden brown.

Remove and set on cooling rack for 5 minutes.

Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Let bread cool for 45 minutes before slicing....

                     (Oops, I didn't wait. Therefore mine seemed a little "sad".)

I actually thought, in order to make bread, I had to use yeast, and let it rise for hours, etc... But not with this bread. Even though it had the texture of a biscuit, it was delicious with butter or plain. This bread works perfect with any meal or as a sandwich.

I always think of things I could do to a recipe to make it better or different. With this one, I think adding some garlic or even some bacon to it would spice it up a little. But it was a win just the way it was.


Ive shared this at
made-by-me at jaqsstudio
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
showcase-talent-thursday at whatscookinglove
kitchenfunwithmy3sons  
submarine-sunday73 at usscrafty

Hooping

Hooping has been my new form of exercise lately. Its one exercise I can do that does not make my knees hurt. I do not have to get prepared with special clothing and only 8ft of space is needed. I can just grab it anytime I feel a notion and hula. Its quiet, so you can actually watch TV while doing it.

Any one can (hula) hoop with the right size hoop. Most adults hula hooped at one time or another during their child hood, but now if you go to the toy department and try the child's hula hoop, you can forget it! It will not work for you. Small hoops will rotate too fast making it impossible for a larger person. You will walk away feeling like you've lost all the experience you ever had.

An adult has to have the right size and weight to accomplish hooping. If you think you can not hoop, you can! regardless of age, size or coordination. Your Hoop should stand between your navel and boobs. The bigger you are, the bigger the hoop should be. The bigger and heavier the hoop, the slower it rotates around making it possible to do.

I picked mine up at a local TJ Maxx store. It weighs two lbs. Its padded and comes in pieces that snapped together for easy take along on travel. You can also make your own and I will have a link to that at the end of my post. 

Here are some benefits to Hooping.

• You can burn 200 Calories in 30 minutes.
• Engages your core muscles.
• Increases flexibility.
• Builds lower back muscles.
• It gives you a solid massage (Your intestines and organs get a firm rhythmic rubbing.).
• Easy on your knees.
• Convenient.
• Good for spinal and hip mobility. 

Once you get used to using it around your waist, you can learn to use other body parts for hooping. It will build up and strengthen those areas as well. I hoop each day off and on a few minutes at a time but try to do at least a 15 or 20 minute session. I feel like my middle section is firming already.

Here is a great site showing how to make your own hula hoop
http://www.jasonunbound.com/hoops.html


Ive shared this at:
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa. 
freedom-fridays at myturnforus
submarine-sunday73 at usscrafty

Snow Bound

We are just now digging our way out of a three day snow storm here in North Carolina. A snow storm with thunder and lightning as well. We ended up with eight to twelve inches of snow. That may not seem like a lot, but around here we are lucky to see a flurry or two and the schools close down with the first sign of snow sticking to the ground or even in the forecast. So this was a big deal around here.

We were really only snowed in for two days. The snow was so pretty. No one had to work and families got to spend much needed time together. Snow can be so peaceful.

Beautiful scene of the neighborhood

 

Crocheted me a new winter hat for the occasion.

I didn't have to go into work, but I still worked. The work phones were transferred to my cell so I could still assist customers while at the same time doing some home chores, crocheted , went out for a walk and to play and even made snow cream.

Snow heart for Valentines Day.

We Stopped to take a snowman selfie.

We named him her Sarah.

 

My Daughter and the snowman

The roads finally cleared and we got to enjoy a night out for Valentines Dinner. Once we got back home and as I'm typing this post, the earth starts to move with a swaying motion for just a couple seconds. We just experienced an earth quake. Yes, something else we don't get much of around here. I learned I wasn't just going crazy when I seen on Facebook that everyone else felt it too. The news just said it was a 4.4 magnitude and 110 miles from where I live and only 3 miles deep.

I'm calling it a night. Just hope nothing else crazy happens.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

If you like cauliflower, then you will love this. No need to spend several minutes breaking and cutting up cauliflower. For now on , just bake the whole head! Peel off the green leafy parts and cut off the woody stem, rinse well and now your ready to cook it any way you wish.

The other day, while my husband was visiting his brother he saw him preparing  to roast this really pretty head of cauliflower. When my husband told me about it, I had to try it.
You can find the recipe HERE.

It was really simple to do.

 Just look at that steamy goodness escape.

The coating consist of yogurt and many different spices. It had a different taste than im used to. I think it was the curry. Im not a big fan of curry.

The inside was tender with a slight crisp. It was easily cut into wedges for a wonderful side dish.

I think I will do this again but use a different topping. Maybe some sort of flavored bread crumb topping and dipping sauce or simply buttered.

I can see many possibilities here and Id love to see some of my readers ideas.


Ive shared this at:
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa  
made-by-me at jaqsstudio  
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
amaze-me-monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome

Avocado Dressing/Dip

I hate to admit it but its been quite a while since I've eaten a salad. I just get tired of them and I can never find a salad dressing I like. Ranch is at the top of my list on dressings but its so fattening. I just gave up on trying to find a good dressing....Until....I made my own. Its low in calories and full of healthy benefits of Avocado and Yogurt.

Not only will this make a tasty dressing for salads, It also makes an awesome dip for other things such as crackers, potato chips, pretzel and more. This stuff taste almost just like Ranch.

Now, get your blender out.

Here is how its simply made.

Avocado Dressing/Dip

1 Large Avocado

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves fresh garlic

1/4 cup milk (leave the milk out if you want it thick for dip)

1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt

3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix it all together in a blender

Here is a little fun fact about Avocados : The avocado is colloquially known as the Alligator Pear, reflecting its shape and the leather-like appearance of its skin

Some of the benefits of Avocado are:
Healthy Heart
Lower cholesterol
Anti-Inflammatory
Promotes eye health
Prevents birth defects
Cures bad breath
Reduce stroke risk
protects against cancer
Anti-aging
Skin care
Weight management
and more.......check it all out HERE for how and whys.

Maybe ill eat more salads next week using my newly found dressing.



Ive shared this at :
dwellings-theheartofyourhome
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy  
marvelous-mondays-link-party at thisgalcooks

Creamy Jalapeno Bites

While I was out shopping the other day, I found a new food. I'll admit, if it has the word "new" on the package, then I'm sold. I'm a sucker for "new things". My latest new find is this Philadelphia cream cheese with Jalapenos.

I love both cream cheese and jalapenos so I grabbed a small tub of this combination and just knew I could come up with some kind of snack with it.

I had an idea in my mind so I had to try it. I named them "Creamy Jalapeno Bites" because that's exactly what they are.

Take a can of crescent rolls and rolled them out onto a baking sheet. I cut each triangle in half and pressed them out so they would be thin and wide enough. The pieces were not any certain size or shape, I just wanted them big enough to pinch around a spoon of cream cheese spread.

Bake them according to directions on the crescent container, sprinkle with bacon and ..................

Wah lah. You have a delicious side item or finger snack. Perfect for super bowl parties, tailgates or showers. These little bites of hot and cheesy goo will sure be a crowd pleaser. They just got a big thumbs up in my house!


I shared this at:
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa  
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottag  
create-link-inspire at thecraftyblogstalker
kitchen-fun-crafty-friday-link-party at kitchenfunwithmy3sons 

Children on Facebook

Face it, just about everyone is on Facebook now days. Its fun to socialize, share funny stories, read prayer request, look at someones new baby. Then again there is a lot of drama, ugly pictures, dirty jokes, etc. that come along with it.

Facebook has a rule that you are suppose to be at least 13 to sign up ( I personally think it should be 15).
Kids now days are getting around this, or should I say the parents are letting their kids get around it by teaching them to lie and showing them how to set up a Facebook account with fake information.

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40% of the Facebook users under the age of 18 are actually under the age of 13. This just burns me up!
I know personally a mother that helped her son open up a face book account. He is only 11! His profile states that he is 22. His pictures look as if hes 9 and his little friends? They all look like little tots dressing and acting as if they were teenagers.
I find this to be so wrong and dangerous.
Parents, if your going to open your child up to this part of the world, teach them safety and monitor them. Its not a thing about trust, its about keeping them safe and morally protected.

First off, his page is not even private. So, its open for all the predators and stalkers out there to see everything about him, his family and his friends.
Next, its shows the world where he lives.
You can also see and view just about everyone of his little friends in which I'm sure are only barely 12 or younger. Why? Because their pages are not private either so I was able to snoop all around them. I was disgusted at why in the world a parent would let there child do this.
Parents now days do not monitor their children like they should. I mean, at least make it private where only people they know and trust can see their Facebook. There is a setting for that!
Even though your child is "a good child" or a "mature child" does not make a difference. Children have curious minds. One thing will lead to another. If a little 11 year old is flirted with by "anyone" they will be flattered and carry on with conversation easily. They are too immature to think out the dangers. People on Facebook are real, not a character in a video game (which I have complaints about too but that's another story).

Needless to say, he has asked me already to be his Face book friend but I denied it. I have a rule that I will not allow anyone under 15 to be my friend on Facebook. I am against it, therefore I will not promote it.
I do not put anything on my profile that is not kid friendly but I have friends that will use adult humor or life drama on their Facebook and I wouldn't want a child to see.

Parents! Please. Let you kids be kids. Make them go out and play with the kids on the playground for social activity, not sit in a closed room on the computer talking to "who knows who".

Copyright

I have just added a copyright to my blog. You should too.

You may think like me, that surely there is nothing on my blog that anyone would want to copy as their own but you will be surprised. If someone thinks its a win, they will take it and call it there own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(source)

By placing a copyright on your blog you are simply showing thieves that you do not tolerate this type of activity.

Lets get started.....

Click webweaver and generate your free copyright code. It will only take a minute. Once you have generated the code, add it to the bottom (or wherever you choose) of your blog page by using the html gadget option on your layout. You can scroll down and see mine at the very bottom. ;) Cute huh?

There are also more legal information you may need or find interesting by visiting serendipityandspice. This is were I just learned about the copyright thing.

Its a good idea to always add a source to as of where you copied a picture, clip art or artical you use on your blog that is not your own. And bloggers rule, its always a respectful and fair to add a link leading to where you got some of your information. It also would not hurt to add a watermark to your pictures. I use Pickmonkey for mine. Its a fun picture editing site. Sure, people can still steal and use your pictures but this will detour them to a degree.

I hope maybe I covered a few things you didn't know. Its always good to be safer than sorry.

January Daisies

Its been a while since I did some artwork. I have been so wrapped up in crocheting and the holidays, that I nearly forgot about the relaxation of painting.

One afternoon after all had settled down, the house was cleaned and crochet orders were caught up, I decided I wanted to paint a while. I didn't have a new blank canvas so I took an old ugly abstract painting I did a couple years ago and painted over it with a new look. That's the fun of acrylic!

"January Daisies"

I knew sort of what I wanted to paint. I needed a picture for my bathroom to coincide with the colors of the curtain and rug. I grabbed just three colors plus white and began my masterpiece. I was not sure what to paint or how to do the colors so I just began using the brush on the canvas and adjusted and blended as I went. once it was completely dry, I randomly drew long stem daisies blowing in the wind.

 

I plan to do some more paintings as soon as I get more time. Painting is so relaxing.

Ive shared this at:
create-link-inspire at thecraftyblogstalke

Baked Kale Chips

I introduced myself to a new vegetable called Kale. I've heard of this leafy vegetable but never tried it until now. My sister told me that she baked kale leaves in the oven to make a healthy nibble snack.
Well, since I'm wanting to eat healthy I gave it a try. I actually tried a piece of kale before baking and found it to be delicious. I thought it had a slight bitter but nutty flavor.

 Baked Kale Chips

First I cut off the big stems then rinsed the kale in a colander.

You want them to be as dry as you can get them so it will turn crisp correctly. So after I rinsed them, I tore them by hand into small pieces and laid on a sheet of paper towels and used another paper towel to press the water away.

Then I put the kale pieces in a large baggy but you can also use a bowl. I poured a couple tablespoons of olive oil and sea salt into the bag and tossed the kale to get it coated well.

I covered a baking sheet with foil and laid the frilly greens in a single layer to bake.

At this point you can add other flavors if you wish such as garlic, or paprika (which is what I did). But its totally optional. Just the salt and olive oil alone make a wonderful flavor.

Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes until crisp.

They will be thin and fragile but not so bad that you cant pic them up to eat them. My husband and daughter liked them therefore I almost didn't get a chance to get a picture after baking. They didn't last long. These do not do good to eat later because some of the leaves will turn soft again but I heard you can store them in a paper bag to keep the crispness.

I'm thinking of trying some other recipes using this fiber filled vegetable soon. Do you have a Kale recipe you love? Id love to hear some more ideas.

Ive shared this at:

whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa
made-by-me-109-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio 
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
create-link-inspire at thecraftyblogstalke

Happy New Year!

Wow, twenty thirteen went by way to fast but I'm ready for a new start.

As I look back on the past twelve months, its hasn't been that bad. My daughter graduated college, I received a pay raise, my online shop stayed steady, I learned a few new things, got rid of a few so called friends. I didn't have to go any further than deleting them off face book because that's the only place they seemed to know me. You know what I'm talking about. Even though I would have liked to be closer and would have been a good friend for them, they just had their own groups and lives and were to busy or thought they were to good to know me well. I say, good riddance.

Looking forward, I'm pretty excited about what the new year may bring me. 

In February, I hope to have some exciting news to share. (no pregnancy, weddings or moves). Just something I've been challenging myself to accomplish and hope it happens.
I also, hope to get a new car this year. I have had one now for seven years and if I see my budget will let me, I hope to have something new. Its just scary thinking about getting into another four years of car payments.
I might be a mom to a college student again. My daughter is waiting on news of acceptance into a masters program.
I plan to visit the beach more often this year, loose weight, tithe more and be a better person.
I have lots of drawers and closets to clean out and maybe learn a few new recipes and crafts.

Today I will be having my traditional New Years dinner complete with collard greens, black eye peas, mashed potatoes, pork loin, macaroni and cheese and cobblers. My house will be full of friends and family as we celebrate the New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!