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

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.

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.

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.

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.