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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Say it with BLOCKS

A couple months ago, I was the lucky winner of some very

festive, and quite adorable Harvest wooden blocks. My
bloggy buddy Maria sent them to me. She and her
talented mom Connie make these blocks. Visit CONNIE
if you would like to buy some blocks of your own. She
also sells the vinyl letters in many colors. I recommend
hopping over to ShadyCreek Lane to check out Connie's
supply. (Her's are way better than the ones I made.)

Maria shared a tutorial with blog land a while ago, and I
made a set for myself. They are a fun project, and allow for a
lot of creativity. If your ambitious, you can make some
yourself. Please go to Maria's Tutorial for the instructions.

I went to Lowe's and bought (1) 2" x3" x I don't know how long
piece of wood. I asked them to cut it in 1/2 for me so I could
get it home.

I next decided what I wanted to spell, I chose
Let It Snow. I wanted to have something I could use
throughout the winter. So.. I recruited hub's and his saw.
He cut the pieces for me. They are all the same width but
they are staggered in height. Oh.. and he sanded the edges
for me as well.



















Ooops... forgot to mention that I also stopped by Michael's to pick
up some Mod Podge, scrapbook paper (you can use any colors or designs
you like) sticker letters, snowflake bling, and a little ribbon. I was sure
to use my 40% off coupon... love those!








































We had left over stain from our deck, and it takes so very little, that
I don't even think we'll miss it. I stained them, but it was cold out,
and it took 2 days to dry. I spoke to Maria recently, and she said
to use a hair dryer.. smart girl.. I should have thought of that.



























Next, I cut the papers just A bit smaller than the face of the block
using my straight cutter. Applied Mod Podge to the surface
of the block and covered with the paper. Be sure to let it totally
dry. (bubbles are bad)



















Once completely dry, apply a top coat, let dry again. Probably took
about 20-30 minutes to completely dry. I took an emery board,
and lightly "sanded" the edges. (not shown here)






















I applied my letters & bling... and here they are all finished.



















Thanks Maria & Connie for a fun project!!

And the winners are........

Winner of the Snow Globe Snowman ornament is...... DEE!





























Winner of the blown glass with blue hat Snowman is..... ANGIE!



























Winners, Please email me your mailing info, and as soon
as I hunt up a couple boxes, I'll send them on their way.

Keepnthesunnyside@ymail.com

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Peanut butter/ Reece cup cookies

It's Christmas cookie time, and I'm going to be sharing
some of my favorites, starting with this one.

These cookies are beyond heavenly. The combination of
chocolate and peanut butter... just yum. I started making these
last year, and made more over the weekend. They disappear
faster than I can bake them.

Cast of Characters:
Peanut Butter Cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)
Mini Reese's peanut butter cups
Muffin tins.
The mini pans make taller cups, but I also use the regular sized
muffin tins. Both work just fine, but when using the larger cups,
be sure to use a little more dough.
Slice the cookie dough into about 1 inch slices.
Then cut each slice into 4ths.
I spray the pans with a little bit of pam. Then add (1) 1/4.
Bake using cookie dough temperature and directions.
I bake at 350 for about 8 minutes. The idea is not to let the
cookie get "too set". You want them to be baked, but not hard.
While those are baking, unwrap your Reese cups.
When the cookies are ready to come out of the oven, immediately
place one Reese cup in the center of each cookie.
Let cool, then remove from pans.

As fast as these were plated, they disappeared! Literally!
Go make some.. you'll love'm!
This batch did not come out as pretty
as they usually do.. I was in a hurry.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Snow Effect


As you can see, I've added a snow effect to my blog.


I was warned by a blogger buddy that this effect can cause issues with computers crashing. Please let me know if you experience any problems due to this snow effect by shooting me an email at keepnthesunnyside@ymail.com.

Thanks!

Christmas Display

at the Conservatory.....

Poinsettia tree
Santa's Sleigh.......
Natural Beauty & hand made ornaments.
This little Bee train was flying, took me a couple tries to catch'em...
Carousel


Of course we had to walk through the orchid room too.........

As you can see it was a beautiful visit.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Chicken Pot Pie

..... but you could SO USE YOUR LEFT OVER TURKEY!!

MMMmmm.. Comfort food!

You guessed it.. it's Ree's.

Cast of Characters:














3 celery sticks, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup all - purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 cup white wine (optional, I did not use)
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper to taste
Double pie crust (make your own, or use premade...like me)

First up, I chopped celery, carrots, & onion, then sautéed
in butter for about 5 minutes.



















Next add chicken, combine, then sprinkle the flour on top,
combining slowly.



















Pour in the chicken broth, stir in bouillon cube, and wine
(if using). Pour in the cream. Let mixture thicken for about
4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.



















Pour into prepared pie pan (crust)





































Add the top crust &
Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Don't laugh too hard.....Be kind, I'm no crust maker....

Oh .. and also be kind, as I had no time for camera settings,
and these shots are stinko.. but not the pot pie..
it is fantastico!!










































Hub's and I enjoyed it. The kids not so much, but that is
mostly because they are "picky". I for one found it to be
a great comfort food, and would definitely make it again.

Friday, November 27, 2009

It's Black Friday, and I'm having a Giveaway!


Two lucky winners are going to each win ONE of these ornaments.

I LURV Snowmen, and I found these adorable
LARGE ornaments at Cracker Barrel's restaurant/ store.


The first randomly chosen winner will win this....
It's approximate size is: height 6 1/2 inches & 4 1/4 inches wide.
The 2nd randomly drawn winner will win this.......
height: 7 1/2 inches
width: 3 inches wide, plus the curve of the hat.

Rules:
Must be a U.S. resident, sorry shipping out of the country is very expensive.

Leave a comment ON THIS POST (1 chance) & By Becoming a
FOLLOWER, you'll get 2 chances.

If you are already a follower, mention that in your comment.

You do not need to have a blog of your own to participate, but
be sure to lave me a way to contact you, if your a winner!

I will be choosing 2 winners on Tuesday Evening, and the
winner will be announced on Wednesday.