Magic Cookie Bars

Kinsey has a pen pal who lives in Canada. Her mother and I have belonged to the same online mommy group since the girls were born (Hi Kim!). Recently they posted pictures on their blog where Scarlett made Magic Cookie bars. Kinsey and I were looking at the pictures and Kinsey said she would like to make them too. We finally made them tonight.

The ingredients.

Adding the chocolate chips....some how a few made it into her mouth...hmmmm.

Ready to go in the oven.

Done! They are cooling on the counter now waiting to be sliced and put in a container. Kinsey had to go to bed so she will miss that part. I may have to sample them to make sure they turned out ok ;-)

So when is his birthday?

We have this on going debate in my family as to when my Dad's birthday really is. He was born on one day but the papers weren't filled out and filed until the next day so that's what his birth certificate says. He was born at home in a rural area in 1944 and the doctor didn't want to drive to town. My Grandmother celebrates today and my Dad says it's tomorrow--what his birth certificate says. I want to wish my Daddy a Happy Birthday (whichever day it is)!

Not doing so good at NaBloPoMo

So I've missed a few days here and there. I'm doing better than I usually do all year. Yesterday was one of those days that I was on the computer around 2pm then didn't get back on until about 2pm today. Kinsey and I have had a cold that we can't seem to kick. It keeps coming back with a barking cough. We'll feel good for a few days then back it comes. Yesterday Kinsey had a bit of fever, sore throat, and a cough in the early afternoon and evening. I made her watch movies in her room and rest. Today she feels great. I just wish we could get past this season but I have a feeling it's just starting.

my other job, part 2

Does anyone want to guess how many times I have printed the same invoice this week?? Anyone? Four times!!! Every day it's "Oh I forgot to tell you to add this" or "oh that goes to so and so not the seller" or "take that thing off that I told you to add". I'm done! If this isn't right then he can figure out how to do it himself.

Thanks! Needed to get that out! Night all!

Twelve cans of pumpkin....for now

Hip-Hip Hooray!! The grocery store is having it's big Thanksgiving sale! I love this sale because I stock up on all my baking supplies. I buy can pumpkin by the case--at two for a dollar you can't beat the price. I buy fresh cranberries to put in the freezer for later use. I also stock up on chicken broth.

I seriously LOVE pumpkin. My sister got me a great pumpkin cookbook for my birthday and I want to try so may of the recipes. I will probably go back and get another case of it before the sale ends. I want to try pumpkin butter in my crockpot very soon.

my fancy bejeweler

I took my sewing machine to work today to hem some curtains (easier than bringing curtains home with me). I was sitting at the kitchen table sewing when the school kids came in off the bus. One of the girls stopped and asked me if that was one of those machines that puts diamonds on things....LOL! I laughed then told her no it was my sewing machine. I guess no one she knows sews but they must bejewel things ;-)

my other job

Since Neal started his own company I am his secretary. Earlier he asked me to make an invoice for an inspection he did today. I told him to write the info down and I would get to it after my TV show was over. So I get to the computer and there is a little piece of paper with what he did but no who he did it for. Of course he has gone to bed and I don't want to wake a sleeping bear. I'll leave my own little note for him and he can get it when I get to it.

He is hopefully going hunting early in the morning so I may not see him. The hunting gods have been working against him the last few days. His alarm hasn't gone off so he hasn't gotten up early enough. Sunday the power went out during the night and last night he forgot to set it. When he has been out he's only seen does or cow elk. In some ways I hope he gets a deer but in others I hope he doesn't. The meat would be great to eat this winter but it's a huge chore to process all that meat and get it in the freezer.

I'm off to bed.....yawn

The Party's over....

We had such a good time yesterday at my nephew's going away party. There was a lot of food, a lot of family and a lot of friends. There were toasts made, crying, and cake. Overall, a great time was had by all. He will be missed but we all know he will go on to better things! Good Luck Drew!

My Mom and I standing, my younger sister and brother are sitting.

Kinsey trying to fly with a whole bunch of balloons...lol!

My Mom

I'm enjoying a visit with my Mom. We've helped decorate for my nephew's party, eaten dinner, and play a game. Lots of visiting and having fun!

Swab the deck matey!

In a previous post I mentioned that this house has a white linoleum floor in the kitchen. I detest this floor. It's beautiful when it's clean but living in dusty NM on a dirt road it's not clean very often. I can sweep everyday and still get a ton of dirt. I decided I had better mop it today so it looks some what clean this weekend. The last time I did a thorough cleaning I got down on my hands and knees and used a scrub brush. It killed my back! Neal suggested that I get a brush on a stick like the guy at the car wash uses--he comes out and scrubs your tires and windows before you go through the wash. After searching around Wal-Mart I finally found what I was looking for in the Hardware section. They have a small area for industrial cleaning supplies. I was able to scrub the floor while standing and not kill my back. I scrubbed an area then would go back and mop it. It worked perfectly and my floors are gleaming white.....for now.

We still plan to put down a different floor but that's one of the things that will be in the future. I'm still waiting for Kinsey's bathroom floor to be done and it's a very tiny bathroom. We have the tile and all the supplies it's just motivation someone to do it. I can't say to much though, our deck which was almost falling down when we moved in has been totally redone and is so much sturdier. Whomever built it didn't know what they were doing and didn't secure it to the house. Neal and I couldn't be on it at the same time for fear of it collapsing. A few weeks ago, Neal and a friend of his completely tore off the old deck and rebuilt it. Now you can go in and out without fear.

One thing at a time............

Dont' you hate it when...

you put something up so you will remember where it is and then can't find it? Last Friday I went through some boxes in the kitchen that I had never gotten around to unpacking since we moved in. I came across a package of the brackets that hold up mini blinds. In the back of my mind I told myself to keep those out because I needed them.

Fast forward to today when I needed them and couldn't find them! Last month I took the mini blinds down in Kinsey's room and put up heavy blackout drapes because they keep her room warmer and help her sleep later in the morning. I put the mini blinds in the spare room to put up in there since I had never bought any for that room. I wanted to put the blinds up but couldn't remember where I put the brackets. I looked on the counter, in the junk drawer, several boxes, etc. I finally gave up and moved on to other things. I was putting something in a cabinet and saw a plastic sack sitting in there and it hit me.....maybe it's in there....but why would it be in that sack? Sure enough I looked in the the sack and there they were!

The mini blinds are up and while I had the curtains down I washed them so they are nice and fresh. I'm thinking those nights that Neal tosses and turns or snores this will also be my place to sleep...lol!

I totally forgot to post yesterday

It was one of those really long days yesterday and posting slipped my mind. I will make sure and post twice today! I worked from 6:45am to 5:45pm. Needless to say we had frozen pizza last night and I watched TV before bed. YAWN!

Yummy Crockpot dinner

We are having Chicken Cacciatore tonight. I found the recipe in a new cookbook my sister gave me for my birthday. It's called Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. There are a lot of good recipes in here from breakfast to dessert. There are a lot of helpful hints and ideas. Check it out if you have a chance.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

one 16 ounce jar Italian marinara sauce, such as tomato basil
1 medium size yellow onion, cut in and half and sliced in half moons
1 to 3 cloves garlic, to your taste, minced
1 medium size green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs and 4 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons all purpose flour (optional)
2 tablespoons water (optional)
2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)

1. Layer half of the tomato sauce and all of the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the mushrooms on top and cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 2 1/2 to 3 hours on HIGH or 6 to 7 hours on LOW. The chicken will add some of it's own juices to the dish.
2. (Optional) Transfer the chicken to a warm platter. If you wish a thicker sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, water, and wine until smooth. Stir into the sauce in the cooker, turn to HIGH, cover, and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the sauce and vegetables over the chicken and serve.

Serve over white rice or noodles. Serves 4.

***The changes I made--I just used spaghetti sauce with mushrooms that I had in the cabinet, my minced garlic in a jar smelled funky so I threw it out and sprinkled some garlic powder over the chicken, and I used sliced mushrooms since that's what I had on hand. I'm sure it will be just as good as the original recipe.

We now have a guest room!

The guest room is done! I just have to put sheets and blankets on the bed and find a place for a few odds and ends. Neal cleaned up the yard and covered the air conditioner today so that's taken care of. Now I just have to dust, vacuum, sweep, and clean the bathrooms.

The reason we are having company is that my nephew is joining the Air Force and my sister is having a farewell party for him. We are so proud of him. He will be 23 in December and has decided this is what he wants to do for the next 6 years. In this time of war it is a big decision to join the military. I wish him the best of luck and will pray for him to be safe every day.

Feeling much better today

I have felt so much better today. I guess I just needed a good nights sleep. I went to bed early and slept late today. I still have a stopped up nose but that's not unusual for me.

I've been working on making our guest bedroom into a real guest bedroom today. When we moved in everything that didn't have a home was just shoved in there. We will be having company next weekend (Hi Mom!) so I thought I had better have a place ready to sleep. I have found all kinds of treasures today and a whole lot of junk...lol! I did empty out or consolidate quite a few boxes and threw out some stuff. Sometimes I wonder why I keep half the stuff I do. I know part of it is genetic (Hi Mom!) and part of it is living 20 miles from Wal-Mart. I would rather have stuff handy and not have to drive to get something. I've been going through boxes of craft stuff and sorting them into Avon boxes. My Grandmother has sold Avon for over 50 years and she gets her deliveries in sturdy boxes. They've been the same size box for years. When I was in high school I covered several boxes with contact paper and kept stationary in them. I still use those boxes to store stuff in. In the guest bedroom/craft room I have a long shelf over a storage hutch and I plan to put the craft supply boxes up there. I need to cover the boxes but that will have to wait until another day. I will at least label them so I know what's in each box.

I'm lucky that the two twin beds we have are captains beds. They have storage under them and 3 drawers. They were mine and my sister's when we were growing up. My brother used one as he grew up. Kinsey has the one that was mine and the guest bedroom will have the other one. I was able to store some boxes of odds and ends under it and will fill the drawers with "stuff". I can't wait to get this room done so that I can do some sewing and crafting in that room. It will also be nice to have a place for guest.

Quick post

I have a sore throat and the beginnings of a cold so this is just a quick post to say I posted today. I'm off to take some Nyquil and go to bed. Nighty-night

Children of the World

The 2nd grade has been learning about all the continents and countries in them. Today they had a program where each child had a small speaking part and they sang several songs as a group. Kinsey dressed as a Brazilian woman. This is almost the same costume she wore to World Thinking Day for Girl Scouts.


We tied a scarf around her head and add a few more necklaces.

Kinsey and Mrs. Jones--her teacher.

Change in menu

I have decided to switch up two days in my menu...it's obviously the last two since that's what's left...lol! We will be having pork roast with carrots, potatoes, and onion tomorrow and Easy Baked Potato soup on Friday. I work late tomorrow and just want to come home to dinner made. The baked potato soup is easy but still will take about 20 minutes to put together.

So far this week everything has been met with great enthusiasm by Neal. Kinsey only liked the beans and cornbread. We've been having her try more and more food that she previously turned her nose up at and she has found that she likes more food than she thought. Neal loved the unstuffed peppers tonight. I thought he might explode if he ate much more...lol! I used brown rice and he never even knew the difference. Next time I'll do brown rice and ground turkey for a very healthy meal.

Yesterday did not go as I had hoped it would

I stayed up late to watch election results and things didn't go the way I had hoped. New Mexico is one of those states that flips back and forth between red and blue. We have such a diverse group of people in the state that you just never know what will happen. I hope for everyone that the next four years do turn out to be as wonderful as people think they will but I'm not holding my breath. I'll just keep up my hopes for 2012.

On the local front we re-elected the county sheriff. That was a very good thing! The "other guy" had been the mayor of our little village a few years ago and well lets just say we've already experienced his politics and didn't want any more of that. It was a landslide victory so yes the people spoke and were heard!

On this historic election day....

I thought I would share some pictures from the Road to Victory Rally I went to last month. I found out Sarah Palin was going to be in Roswell, NM and managed to snag 2 tickets. Unfortunately no one else was able to go with me so I went by myself.


I started out right under the flag then worked my way up closer to the stage. There were around 10,000 people there but I was about 10 people back from the side of the stage. It was so hot that day. Many people had heat exhaustion and had to be carried out. I drank plenty of water and tried to keep cool.

After a few local people spoke they announced there was a special guest....out walked Hank Williams, Jr! Neal was wishing he had gone with me at this point. Hank sang a few songs and talked about the campaign.


Finally, Sarah Palin's plane landed and out she walked with her beautiful baby boy. After handing him off she came in and gave her speech. The crowd was very motivated and jubilant.

I very much enjoyed this day. I have never been to a political rally and got to meet a lot of interesting people from all over New Mexico and Texas. I was amazed at how far some people had come to go to this rally.

Crockpot cooking all week

I'm trying to use my crockpot as much as possible lately because I don't get home until 6 most nights. I hate to try to start dinner then so it's nice to walk in and dinner is made. I went to the grocery store earlier with an idea of what I wanted to make this week (should have made a menu first) while keeping in mind what I had at home. My plans so far include

MONDAY pulled pork sandwiches, guacamole with chips, and a veggie to be named. Pork sirloin roasts were on sale so I bought a family pack with 3 in it. I put the 2 smaller ones in the crockpot with a sliced onion for tonight. When I get home I have to shred the meat and add BBQ sauce. YUMMM! This will be for dinner and a few lunches.
TUESDAY pinto beans and cornbread
WEDNESDAY unstuffed bell peppers and a veggie to be named. This is a recipe I discovered a few years ago. It's so easy and very good
THURSDAY Easy baked potato soup with cheese and bacon. I learned to make this recipe a few yeas ago at a Taste of Home Cooking School. Very filling and easy. I will "bake" my potatoes in the crockpot while I'm at work then assemble the soup when I get home.
FRIDAY pork roast with onion, potato, and carrots. I will make drop Bisquick biscuits to go with it. This is the 3rd roast from the family pack.

I received a new crockpot cookbook for my birthday recently and have been looking at new recipes. I'm hoping to try a few next week. I also found a recipe for crockpot pasole on the internet that I want to give a try. Lastly, I have a blog that I have been finding all kinds of great recipes at. It's where I found out you can "bake" potatoes in the crockpot. Go check it out at A Year of Crockpotting.

Juliette Low Day Camp

Kinsey and I attended Girl Scout camp yesterday. We were celebrating Juliette Low Gordon's birthday--the founder of Girl Scouts. The girls learned about fire safety from a forest ranger and we went on a nature walk. They made a sit-upon (pillow) out of old jeans. The best part was learning to make a cake in a foil covered box and a peach cobbler in a dutch oven.

It was cold first thing in the morning but once the sun came up everyone warmed up. I think all the girls had a good time and learned a lot. Here is a picture of Kinsey and a few of her friends.

First day of NaBloPoMo again!

That means National Blog Posting Month. I plan to post something everyday in November! Lets cross our fingers and hope I can do it this year. I made it almost to the end last year and didn't finish so my goal this year is to finish. I have lots of pictures to share from things going on the last few months and new ones still to be taken. Wish me luck!

By the way, I changed my back ground again. I've found so many cute ones at this new place. Can't wait to try some more.