Happy Halloween!

Wanted to wish everyone a happy halloween!  Me and "Minnie Mouse" had a great time trick or treating..so glad the weather cooperated this year!  :-)

DEAL!

Who says you can't get a good deal nowadays?

I walked into JcPenney's yesterday with Makayla, hoping to find her a blanket sleeper (or two) for a good deal.  And maybe some skinny jeans or jeggings too.  Cause every little girl needs them.  ;-)

We walked past the cash register in the women's department when I did a double take.  A sale rack.  But not just any sale rack of clothing, a 97 CENTS sale rack!

In Penney's?!?!?!

So of course, I went over to investigate.  Dresses mostly.  A few fancy blouses.  Mini shorts (not my style).  To my suprise, I found 2 dresses in sizes that were my size!  So after a trip to the fitting rooms, I scored myself 2 dresses for 97 cents each.  I paid less than $2 for 2 dresses!!!

Here's the proof!

 

I still can't quite believe my good luck!!  Oh..and here are the dresses..not the best of pictures..but you get the idea.....

 

 

 

Don't worry.  Makayla still got herself a blanket sleeper and a pair of skinny jeans!  I just found it funny her 2 articles of clothing cost WAY more than mine did!





A Cabin in the Woods!

Last week, we took a little trip to Pipestem State Park in our lovely state and had such a good time!  We only stayed one night, but were able to score a cabin! 

Fall leaves.

Cozy fireplace.

No distractions.

Priceless.

Makayla enjoyed the playground area and taking a bath in the kitchen sink (they only had a shower in the cabins) and we enjoyed the fireplace!  The only thing I missed was a good nights sleep!  I didn't fall asleep until just before daylight.  A combo of needing my own pillows from home and a certain 'someone' got on MY side of the bed that night!  Oh well..we had a good time anyways!

at the playground

my absolute favorite picture!

walking in the woods

country roads!

my smiley girl

my world :-)

ahhh..relaxation!

napping by the fire

bathtime in the sink!

i promise i wasn't mad here, Damon snapped the picture before i was ready!

our cabin

 me and my girl

me and my honey!



"The Christmas Candle" by Max Lucado

I recently read "The Christmas Candle" and have to say, its my first time reading a Max Lucado book!  I know, right?  I've always heard wonderful things about this author and was glad my first read was a Christmas based book.  It takes place in the 1800s in Gladstone (a Victorian England village).  The town candle maker, Edward Haddington, and his wife, Bea, have a tradition to keep.  Every 25 years, an angel visits, touches a candle around Christmas-time, and leaves just as mysteriously as it appears.  Whoever the candle maker gives that particular candle to in town has always received a miracle.  It becomes the talk of the town.  However, when the town gets a new Reverend this particular year (when the angel should appear), he is hesitant to believe the 'local folklore' which angers many of the townsfolk.  After a sequence of events, everyone's hearts are lifted and eyes are opened.

I really liked this book.  It was really easy to get drawn into it and I liked the historic time period in which the author chose to make this book to take place.  I actually read it in one evening (it is rather short too)!  I could pretty much see how it was going to end once I was so far through, but it was still worth reading!  I hope to read more of Max Lucado's books in the future.  I can see why he is such a popular author!

Serenity to Accept by Elizabeth Maddrey



After reading "Courage to Change", I just HAD to read the 3rd book in the "Grant Us Grace" series by Elizabeth Maddrey, "Serenity to Accept"!!  It pretty much picks up where "Courage to Change" leaves off, only this time focuses more on Karin Reid, which is the sister of Phil Reid.  Karin, unlike Phil, isn't a believer in God.  Working in the NICU, she is used to seeing people pray for their newly born infants, sometimes many weeks premature, but feels more like their healing comes more from medicine than from God above.  She meets Jason Garcia, an ER doctor at the same hospital where she works, and is very intrigued by him.  He's definately a man of God, praying feverently before his meals in the lunchroom, and handsome to boot.  But for Jason, he's hesistant to get involved with a non-believer.  Like the Bible says, two should not be unequally yolked.  But Jason falls hard and fast for Karin after a sequence of events, and the same goes for her.  Can it work?  Or maybe the most important question is, should it work? 

I absolutely LOVED this book!  Its a must read for anyone, but especially someone who is currently looking for love and feeling discouraged, especially Christians.  Even though I am married, I remember the struggles before I met my husband, and wondering should I chance dating an unbeliever.  The plot of the book is very well written.  I just hope there is a 4th book to this series, because I can't wait to see where it leads!

Homemade ~~ Cooking!

I'm definately not a from-the-box cooking type person.  Sure, I use pre-packaged stuff from time to time but the majority of our meals are made from scratch.  Its just better if you can add your own twist to something!!



The other day I made some Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Its a favorite of mine (not so much for Damon, he's 'anti-chicken' for some reason!) and very suitable for the cooler fall days.  I'm pretty sure I took this recipe from Rachael Ray and adapted it to suit my own tastes, if memory serves me correct.  Its VERY tasty!

Then I cleaned out my pantry and found some coconut cookies I had bought at the Dollar Tree a while back.  Knowing I needed to use them up asap, I figured they'd make a divine crust for a pie!  So I crushed up those bad boys, added some melted butter, baked it in a pie pan, and let it cool.  For a filling, I went to my old standby, homemade vanilla pudding!  Only I gave it a twist, adding some rum extract, so it was a vanilla rum pudding.

Yum.

 

The only thing that would have made it better was a dollop of lime curd!



And then I tried a new recipe!  I needed something quick to make on Sunday since Damon had to work, so I went to my favorite 'famous' cooks website, Pioneer Woman, for some new ideas!  This lady never disappoints!



I came across a recipe for a Sour Cream Noodle Bake.  So easy!  Cook some egg noodles.  Toss w/sour cream and cottage cheese.  Make a meat sauce.  Put the noodles in the bottom of a pan and top with the meat sauce.  Add cheese.  Bake.  Simple, no fuss.

And it was SO good!  Even the cats wanted some!

It was obviously a dish worthy of a Sunday nap!

 

 

Anyone tried any new recipes?  I'd love to hear about it!



Homemade ~~ Fabric Softener!

I did a post a while ago about making my own laundry detergent, but I must of forgotten to share with y'all that I also started making my own fabric softener not long afterwards! 



Its really easy actually!  All I do is mix in my 75 oz. Snuggle bottle~~~~

1 bottle of cheap hair conditioner (I like VO5..its less than $1!)
3 cups of white vinegar
and water

Thats it!!  I mix the first 2 in the bottle and top it off with water (hot water will make it dissolve together quicker).  Its so simple..and to answer the question thats probably in your mind right now, no, my clothes don't smell like vinegar!  Actually, if you do a little research, in the 'old days' women used white vinegar (straight up!) to naturally soften their clothes.  Its one of those things (like baking soda) thats good for a lot of things!

Do you make anything homemade to clean with?  How do you like it?  Do you save a lot of money by 'diying'?

Homemade ~~ Crafting!

I've really been bitten by the craft bug lately!  Well, more like sewing, but same difference!  I wanted to share with y'all what all I've been creating....

First, some curtains I made for my best friend!  I'd do anything in the world for this gal, and when she told me she was going to redecorate her room I told her I'd make some curtains if she'd like!  She was totally on board and this is what we came up with..they turned out beautifully if I don't say so myself!

 

 

After completing this project, I moved on to a new blanket for Makayla's bed.  I found some really cute owl fabric at Hobby Lobby and picked up some hot pink fleece at Walmart (because its cheaper there) for the backing.  I wanted something a little heavier than what she had on her bed already, with winter coming up and colder nights, I want my little snuggle bug to be nice and warm.  :-)  I even made her a coordinating pillow case cover after I was finished, to complete the look!

 

 

 

 

When I was making her blanket, I had to clear off the area next to my sewing maching to well..sew it (I have a habit of collecting fabric and then piling it up next to my machine!).  After getting it done, I went through the fabric and came across some I had forgotten I'd purchased to make me and my mom a couple of fall aprons!  So of course, I jumped right into it and got them done in a reasonable amount of time.

 

Did I ever tell y'all that I've made so many aprons over the years I could (probably) do it with my eyes closed? 

 

 







 

They turned out super cute!  Mine is the chevron print w/the coordinating turkey fabric pockets, and my mom's is the turkey printed one w/coordinating chevron pockets!

 

Have any of you done any crafting lately?

 

 



Adventures

We went on a little 'adventure' last week on one of Damon's days off (have I mentioned he's on a new schedule now?  I'll have to explain in another post).  Instead of going to the Pumpkin Festival, that we've done year after year (after year, after year!) we were in the mood for something else for a change.  So we headed out to Coonskin Park in Charleston..not what you'd expect in the capital city of our state of West Virginia..its definately a beautiful little gem of a place! 

And we had a blast..especially Makayla!  She got to chase ducks!  I'm pretty sure its the first time we'd taken her there....

 

It was a fun day as you can see..and much needed!!  If we can get back while the weather is cooler in the coming weeks..it'd be great to take a little picnic and enjoy it all over again!