~ Our 2011 Shutterfly Album ~

Today I got a $20 off code in my email from Shutterfly.  I took that as the kick in the pants I needed to go ahead and order my 2011 family book I make every year.   I used my Scentsy rewards card to pay for the balance and basically ended up not having to pay any money out of pocket for my album.  This one is smaller than usual.. mainly because I waited until late December to finally do it.  I am happy to say I have already started our 2012 album.

Here is our 2011 album -

Click here to view this photo book larger

A Pinterest Inspired Dinner

I made this chicken tonight for dinner.  The pin described it as just like KFC... and while I wouldn't describe it as such, it was really good and everyone ate it.  It is baked, not fried.

Source: thewondertwins.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I also served these 7-Up biscuits.  These were amazing.  I will definitely be making these again.

Source: plainchicken.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I served this meal with my homemade macaroni and cheese recipe and green beans.

DIY LOVE - Making Your Own Rug From Fabric = Super Easy

My in real life friend (back when I had those...when we lived in Virginia) made this RUG and posted it on her BLOG.  Kara is way super crafty... way more so than me and I love/need/want a new rug like this.  I am hoping she will read this post, the email I sent her, and the comment I just left on her blog... and make me one... and mail it to Rhode Island. 

Source: happy-go-lucky-harvey.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

All you need is some fabric and a few supplies from Home Depot or Lowes and you can make one too!!  Isn't is amazing??

I am thinking something fun and colorful and bright... and chevron like this would be perfect -

Source: tonicliving.com via Liz on Pinterest

Thinking Ahead for Valentine's Day

Pinterest is my # 1 go to now for inspiration for home decor, cooking, and baking.   I have been thinking ahead to Valentine's Day and wanted to share some great things I came across.

If you want to follow my pins you can do so here.

I am so making a cake in the shape of a heart -

Source: google.com via Melissa on Pinterest

A homemade pizza with heart shaped pepperonis is a great idea -

Source: onecharmingparty.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Madison loves rice krispy treats so I know this would be a hit -

Source: lovefromtheoven.com via Melissa on Pinterest

These cupcakes are beautiful -

Source: sweetopia.net via Melissa on Pinterest

I've been wanting to try my hand at sugar cookies with royal icing... this may be an easy way to to start -

Source: myworldispink.tumblr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

These seem simple and tasty for a fun little treat -

Source: lovefromtheoven.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I doubt Madison will do Valentine's this year... but here are some cute ideas -

Source: tammymitchellphotography.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: familyfun.go.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Recipe - Baked Buffalo Chicken Wontons {YUMMY}

These are always a big hit when I make them.  If you like buffao chicken stuff... then I highly suggest you make these.  They are super easy to make.



Ingredients -

1 package of wonton wrappers (usually in the produce section in any grocery store)

4 ounces of cream cheese

8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese

1 small bottle of ranch or blue cheese dressing

1 1/2 cups of buffalo wing sauce

3 chicken breasts (cooked and chopped)

Directions -

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

Place 1 wonton wrapper inside of each tin.

Mix softened cream cheese, the chicken, shredded cheese, and buffalo wing sauce.

Scoop into each wonton cup to fill up.

Bake 12-25 minutes until bubbly and the wonton wrappers brown.

Serve with a tiny it of dressing on top of each cup or serve the dressing on the side for dipping.

Notes -

* You can use canned chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken in this recipe

*Sometimes I use chive and onion cream cheese if that is what I have on hand

*You can add some blue cheese crumbles to the mix before stuffing the wontons

*If you don't have a mini-muffin tin you can wrap the wontons and bake on a regular cookie sheet.

*You could always fry the wontons

I am linking this recipe up at -

 

12 Random Things for 2012

12 Random Things for 2012

 

-12- Random Things

1. Ever since I learned how cheap, easy, and tasty it was to make homemade pizza... we have had it once a week.

2. I think my husband thinks since I work from home... I don't really work... but I do.

3. I always buy crafty things to make... but never make them right away.

4. My new favorite snack is almonds and a cheese stick.

5. I drive Madison to the bus stop.

6. My elderly neighbor calls Madison by the name Morgan.  I don't have the heart to correct her.

7. I swear as soon as I clean my kitchen... it is dirty again.

8. I am working on a super fabulous Pinterest inspired project for my mom.

9. If I am at home... my hair is pulled up in a pony tail on the top of my head.

10. I drink a glass of water every night when I get in bed.

11. I am newly obsessed with anything chevron.

12. After failing to do my 2011 family album until the end of 2011, I have already started my 2012 and vow to keep up with it.  My 2010 book is amazing because I worked on it several times each month.

-11- Things I Do Every Single Day

1. PEE a lot
2. Watch TV
3. Check Facebook
4. Play Words With Friends
5. Read blogs in my Google Reader (usually from my phone)
6. Clean the kitchen
7. Cook or bake
8. Wear my black flip flops
9. Drink diet coke
10. Send text messages
11. Use my Erin Condren planner
    
12. -10- Most Recent Purchased I Have Made (with 1 being the most recent)

1. a 32 oz. fountain soda

2. our rent payment

3. groceries at Stop & Shop

4. some craft supplies at Michaels

5. McDonalds for Maddie

6. parking at the airport

7. groceries at Trader Joe's

8. lunch at Chipotle

9. scrap wood and paint at Home Depot

10. lunch at the Coddington Brewery

{I have bought nothing fun or exciting since before Christmas}

-9- Future Vacation Destinations

1. To my parents' house

2. To my sister's house

3. To Cape Cod

4. To Boston

5. Back "home" to Virginia Beach

6. On another cruise

7. To Disney World

8. To New York City

9. To Hawaii (hopefully)

{I realize nothing is really overly exciting... we live a simple life}

-8- Things Currently in my Living Room

1. My Christmas Tree

2. Chris with his iPad

3. Maddie with her iPad

4. Lots of blankets on the couch

5. a bowl of gummy bears

6. Our TV

7. Chris' Red Sox sweatshirt hanging over the couch

8. magazines I need to read

1. Something on TLC related to having babies

2. Teen Mom 2

3. Any season of Real Housewives

4. Something on the history channel

5.  Top Chef

6. House Hunters

7. It may be turned on to the Xbox for video games for Chris and/or Madison

-6- Of My Favorite Foods

1. almost anything from Panera

2. my homemade enchiladas

3. most Mexican food

4. Cherry Coke Zero

5. chips and salsa

6. buffalo chicken anything

-5- Things in My Purse

1. My matching wallet

2. Random change

3. hair ties

4. receipts

5. pens

{My purse is so big a small child could fit inside of it}

-4- Things I Would Love to Buy Myself

1. New sneakers

2. New winter boots

3. Some new workout clothes

4. some new cooking utensils

-3- Things I Did Today

1.  I worked out. 

2. I worked a 7 hour work shift.

3. I made dinner.

-2- Things I Can Reach From Where I am Sitting

1. My cell phone

2. flyers for next week grocery store sales

-1- A Picture That I Love

My favorite wedding photo-

I "borrowed" this idea from Emily's blog, Live a Charmed Life and tweaked it just a bit.  I wrote it Wednesday evening to post on Thursday morning.

-7- Things the TV Would Likely Be on If You Came Over

So What Wednesday

I'm linking up with Shannon for one of my favorites...

So what... If today was my first workout in YEARS...

So what... If its been so long since I've worn sneakers... that they didn't fit this morning... and instead of skipping my workout (which did cross my mind) I put on a pair of my husband's sneakers. Yes... I have huge feet.

So what... If it was at Curves. It's better than what I've been doing... Nothing...

So what... If after I left Curves I picked up a diet coke fountain soda...

So what... If our Christmas tree and all of our holiday decorations are still up...

So what... If I go back and forth each day on if I'm ready to try again for another baby... I mean we definitely want a baby... We are only going to get one by trying... But I'm terrified and I think that makes me go back and forth...

Recipe - Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

Last week Chris and I went to Walgreens to pick up some free
photos I ordered.  We picked up a bag of individual Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on clearance with the plan of making cookies out of them.  Sunday evening I whipped up a batch of peanut butter cookies using the recipe (tweaked a bit) off the back of the bag.  These turned out great and were very soft.  I used a small ice cream scoop for the dough and baked them inside liners in a mini-muffin tin!!

Here is the recipe

You will need -

40 mini peanut butter cups (which is incidently...more than one bag)

1 stick of softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup of peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpse flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

Directions -

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Unwrap your candies.  Fill a mini muffin tin with mini muffin liners.

3. Beat butter, both sugars, your egg, the peanut butter, and vanilla until nice and fluffy.

4. Stir together flour, salt, and baking soda in a seperate bowl.  Gradually mix it into the batter.

5. Use a mini ice cream scoop to portion out the dough into the cups or roll 1 inch balls and place them in the muffing cups.  Do not flatten them.

6. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown.  Remove from the oven.

7. Immediately press a peanut butter cup down in each dough cup.

8. Once my pan has cooled, I place it in the fridge for 15 minutes for the peanut butter cups to set before I remove the cookei cups from the pan.

__Here is what the dough looks like in the pans before baking when you use the mini ice cream scoop___

January 1, 2012 Was a Great Day

Sunday January 1, 2012 was a great day.

We slept in.

I made breakfast.

Maddie and I went to Michaels and wandered around for a bit and picked up three things we needed/wanted.

Then I took her grocery shopping with me.  I brought my reusable bags and let her use the scanner they have where you scan and bag as you go, then check out with your scanner at the end.  She loves doing it... So today I let her.

I stayed under budget... although not as low as I would like it to be.

When we came home I made a recipe inspired by Pinterest that I will share this week.  I made Baked Beef & Black Bean Chimichangas.  They were fabulous.  On day 1 of the new year I've already made one new meal... which was one of my January goals. 

After dinner I made Pumpkin Butter Bars.  They are one of Chris' favorites.  We picked up a jar of pumpkin butter at Trader Joe's this weekend and he requested that I make them. We each had one and are saving them for today when his brother and niece come over for dinner.

Then I made homemade peanut butter cookies...using the recipe on the back of the holiday peanut butter cups I picked up for 60% off at Walgreens last week... also to serve for dessert tonight. I used a mini ice-cream scoop to portion out the dough.

We spent lots of good quality family time together yesterday. 

Chris and Madison are both off today.  I have to work.  I am thankful I work from home and can still be here.  My brother-in-law and niece will be coming over in between my two work shifts today for dinner.  I am making baked buffalo chicken wontons for appetizers and my brother-in-law is making his grilled pork tenderloin, rice, and beans.  I am serving the bars and cookies for dessert.

Yesterday was a good day.

I am hoping all of our days continue to be so great.

January 2012 Goals & Plans

Instead of making yearly resolutions... I decided to focus on monthly goals that I know are attainable.  Some are things I want to do and some are things I need to do.  I am hoping to keep up with it and to report back throughout the month when I have met my 6 goals.  

 What are some of your goals, plans, or resolutions for 2012?