Chocolate Chunk Pretzel Love

....or at least that's what I'm calling it since today is Valentine's Day.  (Happy, happy BTW)

This is the snack goodie, we whipped up before we went to a Super Bowl party the other weekend. It's one of my favorite treats. It's sweet, it's salty. You can make it as sinful or as "healthy" as you choose depending upon your choice of ingredients.

For this batch, I used:

(1) full-sized bag of mini pretzels

Half of a cup unpopped popcorn (which will yield a big ol' bowl of air popped corn)

(2) bags of Hershey's Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate Chips

(1) bag miniature marshmallows

Approximately half of a cup red cinnamon heart candy

On the stove top, I melted the chocolate chips and marshmallows over low heat in an 18" oval roasting pan. Once the chocolate chips were fully melted, I kept the roaster on the burner, added the popcorn and pretzels until almost coated and then sprinkled in the cinnamon hearts making sure they were evenly mixed. (I wasn't so concerned about getting the marshmallows completely melted. It was fun to hit a chunk of marshmallow, anyway, during the devouring process.)

Spread the whole mess on a large cookie sheet and find room in your 'fridge for it to cool.  After that you can break it up into pieces and store in a Ziplock bag (preferably in the refrigerator if you are not giving/sharing/inhaling it right away).

You could certainly use true dark chocolate instead of just chocolate chips, add sliced almonds, raisins, peanuts, bits of dried apricots......oh how the list goes on!

Look out, people will be waiting in the wings to snitch this stuff!

Garbage Bag Witch

Yesterday I had Lasik surgery, so I am laying low yet today.  Meanwhile, here's a re-post from last year.  I had fun making this smart gal.  Maybe you'll be tempted after your own leaf-raking this weekend......


Last week my husband raked leaves and mowed the lawn for the final time this year. He bagged the clippings and prepared them for the next garbage pick-up. I walked by the bags as I took my daughter to the bus stop, and when I met her upon arrival home from school. I walked by the bags on my way to and from the mailbox. Something tugged at me each time. As if a spell had come over me, I felt compelled to create! I'm sure the possibilities are endless, but here's what transpired.

Boring bag of clippings/leaves

Roll of white paper and double-wide construction paper

Introducing Ms. Witch!

I didn't use any patterns...just drew on the construction paper freehand. And everything you see is from construction paper except the witch's hat that I got on clearance two years ago for $.19.

Memorial Day Remembrance

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." -Joseph Campbell

Photo:  http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net

Nothing Says Love Like....

....nylon washers. Now how many women do you know request such a thing for Valentine's Day? It's true! I wanted them. Originally, I was torn between the Lady Gaga album (oops, showing my age) and a craft book (that's awfully romantic as well, isn't it?). But I figured since I'm basically never without one of the girls, The Lady Gaga CD is a little tricky to try to listen to. So I enforced my own Parental Advisory on that, and also nixed the book for now since I couldn't decide which one I thought I couldn't live without.

Why am I mentioning these round, plastic jobbies? Well, might I suggest you stay tuned.

Packaged in WI....they've got to be good.

Mod Podge Valentine Carrier

Here's a cute carrier you can make with your kids just in time for them to bring their Valentines home (and spread them from one end of your house to the other). It's very simple, so here we go.


Gather a variety of cereal boxes (the bigger, the better) or cracker boxes. I liked the Stauffer's Whales box because it was much wider than the standard size cracker box.



Cut or tear off the top flaps. I tore mine & not only did it work just fine, but it was a lot faster & easier than the cutting I tried at first.



Cut out a handle. I measured 1 1/4" down from the top and 1 1/4" in from each side (center in the middle based on that). In addition, I made the handles 1" in height.



Next, tear scrapbook paper or wrapping paper in various sizes & shapes. I also used construction paper, copy paper and kiddie Valentine's.



Mod Podge the back of each paper scrap and then stick it to the box, working to create a mosaic effect....or however you'd like it to look! Tip: Initially, I Mod Podged the box and then tried to position the paper. I was maybe too slow for this method because that box warped a little from the extra Mod Podge I had to use before it got too dry.

Once dry (really dry....be patient), paint a layer Mod Podge over the entire box to seal.

Finishing up with a few fancy bits, I added pom poms and a couple of sticky foam conversation hearts. You can make your own pom poms or use a pom pom maker, which I did (no need to spend time shaping with these).

Lots of love will fit in here!

Baby New Year

Welcoming 2010, we present our walnut babies!

We don't even need our diapers changed.

Start by cracking whole walnuts & removing the nutmeats. (I love that word, don't you? It's funny, and I'm going to say it again....nutmeats.)
I don't have a nutcracker, so I set the walnut on a cutting board and covered it with a paper towel, which gave me something to grip. Then I tapped it along its seam with the flat side of a meat cleaver.

Squeeze glue in bottom of shell & press in half of a jumbo cotton ball so it is a bit "poofier" than the shell itself.

2-year olds can help glue.

Add a strip of glue around the inside, turn upside down and push onto the wrong side of the fabric, which will service as the baby's blanket.
Cut around walnut to remove excess fabric once glue is dry.

Use your choice of a wooden bead for the head. I used the variety with the hole in them, which made it easy to affix the hair.
Using permanent markers, draw faces on the beads. My 6-year old loved this job.

Gather yarn, pipe cleaner, curling ribbon, or whatever you choose to use for the babies' hair, wrap it around the tip of a toothpick, add a dab of glue & push it through the hole.

Embellish their blankets, binding, hair, etc. as you please.


Goo-Goo, Ga-Ga

Father Time

Father Time's role has come to an end yet one more year. The old man is tired and worn, he has served his purpose and it is his duty to retire his position to a fresh, new character. I wish I had that ability, don't you? To have the chance, annually, to reverse the harsh effects of life, to undo aging, illness, unfairness, mistakes..... I guess that's not what makes up life, however. With age comes wisdom, of things both joyful and saddening. We learn what makes up happy, who we want to surround ourselves with, how to spend our fleeting time. We learn, too, about tragedies, hard knocks, tribulations and how to maneuver our way through each event.

For each of us, I wish a successful navigation through 2010. May we be granted health, kindness, consideration, support, serenity, laughter and delightful memories that last through the remainder of our years.

I Know Something You Don't Know

You know who you are, and you know what it means.

No, I did not spend too much.

Oh Christmas Tree

Now how sweet is a family's first true Christmas tree excursion? Picture in your mind a beautiful forest of strong pines, motionless in their sturdy roots, dusted with the most beautiful, glistening, powdery snow on the ends of their branches. The still silence surrounding them giving the greatest sense of peace on earth you could ever experience. Breathtaking. I said picture it in your mind; I didn't say we actually got our tree in that setting!

I have some majorly fond memories of picking out a Christmas tree when I was a kid. YEARS of picking out Christmas trees with my mom & dad. I loved it. Somehow the weather was always perfect ~ not bitterly cold, not windy. We went to a lovely Christmas tree farm down a side road about 5 miles away from our home. The owner knew my parents & I kind of always felt like we were treated well. The chore of choosing the perfect tree was equally exciting, fun & difficult. It somewhat saddened me to leave certain trees behind.....the ones that weren't so perfect. Would they get chosen at all? Or would they just sit there, alone, all through Christmas and beyond? And then what happened to them? I felt bad for them. So I'm sensitive. Sue me. I've long attached feeling to completely inanimate objects (those tiny Cheetos were cute, darn it!).

I picture my dad in his outdoor coveralls, with his slightly hunched over shoulders & somewhat subtle side-to-side walk, always asking me which one I liked. I picture my mom, close by my side, pointing out the different types of trees & teaching me yet one more thing in life. I see her choosing left behind branch clippings, forming for herself a now beautiful bundle of trimmed greens.....ones just right for the classy arrangements she always whipped up.

One day I want to go to an out of the way tree farm like this one was, but for our first year with a monumentally bored 6-year old (who attempted to make a Fairy Snow Village in any whisper of snow she could find on our stops), a 2-year old who would surely need a nap, and a Mother who was trying not to think of the umpteen million things she had to do at home. It so happened that our 3rd try was the charm. (Stop #1: no real selection. Stop #2: $110 trees?!?! Ty said that even if George Clooney would have been helping us, we still wouldn't have bought one. I said we certainly would have lingered though.)

(Pause, pause, pause..............)

Huh? Oh, yeah, right, the tree. I got a little Clooney gooney there for a bit.

Beautiful tree. Really a nice one. Balsam fir. Almost perfect shape. Great size. So great, in fact, that it didn't exactly fit in the corner we planned on putting it in. A couple more feet & we'd have even been out of luck in the 13' corner of the living room. Truly, it looked much smaller out in the wild.

Ho Ho Ho...ly Line

Today we visited the jolly bearded man. There were about four different "neato" outings we had to choose from, but a jaunt to a cute little town about 20 minutes away seemed like a pleasant manner in which to meet up with Santa. Oooo ~ and he was a "good" one too....perfect size, great beard, the right age, nice voice. I liked him.

The event was at a library where they also had Mrs. Claus in attendance, along with a hard-working elf who was reading books & scurrying about helping with this, that and the other thing. There were areas where the kids could color and enter a contest with their art piece, decorate a cookie, and make a pipe cleaner & bead ornament. The function was from 10am-noon. We arrived about 11:20.....to find a line so long that I couldn't even see the end of the winding maze of people. Having no idea how long it might take us to be able to encounter the large elf himself, we set up Ty as our place marker. Piling him up with all of our coats, hats, mittens & our video camera & digital camera bag, I took the girls on a little jaunt to keep them occupied.

Ty learned that the people in line behind him originally arrived right at 10am, but the line was already out the door. That would have been an almost 2-hour wait! They came back later to get in line behind us, but had to get to a child's birthday party as well, but didn't know if they'd make it in time. How do you make a kid choose ~ Santa....birthday party? Santa....birthday party?

Suffice it to say, they were all out of the supplies for our ornament making enjoyment, but there were still cookies to decorate. There were cookies, and we were approaching 12:05pm. I'm sure I have never let my children eat two cookies, especially ones that I didn't make, before noon.

Finally, with quite a lot of patience on their part, up in Santa's lap they went. A. was very prepared with her list in hand. When Santa commented on the length of her wish list, she politely pointed out that she didn't even use many of the lines on the page. M. was happy to hang out for her 2-minute dose of the jolly old elf. And that was that. Lots of waiting, a little video taping, a couple of pictures.....and another sweet memory for my memory bank.

Santa, can you clarify your definition of "good"?

Cookie #1.......or was it cookie #2?

Advent Calendar

Every year, as a child, my mom gave me an advent calendar. I absolutely loved them. Each one was different, and I admired the scenes, often times, feeling as if I could be a part of the activities in them. Even into adulthood, Mom continued to surprise me with an advent calendar just in time for December 1st. It always tickled me, because I had a strange amnesia about the calendars. I would recall them something during the month of November, but then completely forget about them until she presented me with the annual gift. She has maintained our tradition even after I have had my own children. The calendar countdowns have advanced since the 1970s, now with more elaborate detail & material, but nonetheless it's still something that is one of my most basic loves of Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This afternoon I took my girls to our local Halloween Candy Buy Back program, sponsored by The Center for Cosmetic Dentistry & Park Bank. They pay the kids $1/lb. of trick or treat candy they bring in & send it to our troops overseas. This is the 2nd year we've participated, & weeks ago, A. made sure to inform me that she wanted to do it again.

In her 5 years of trick or treating, she gave The Halloween Witch her candy 2 of those years, in exchange for a different kind of treat. If you've never met The Halloween Witch, I encourage you to get to know her. She flies around on Halloween night, searching for dropped, discarded & even donated trick or treat goodies. (That's why her teeth are so awful. I mean, have you ever gotten a good look at that woman? Ugh!) The first year we heard about her, we thought we'd see if we could get her to visit us at our own home. Sure enough, A. set her candy out on the front porch & in the morning she found a puzzle, left as a token of thanks for all the sugary loot.

Maybe you can get this gal to visit your house in the years to come. For now, we've ditched the witch in exchange for the coveted greenbacks. Little did you know that Halloween could foster money management!

That's MS. Witch to You

Last week my husband raked leaves & mowed the lawn for the final time this year. He bagged the clippings & prepared them for the next garbage pick-up. I walked by the bags as I took my daughter to the bus stop, & when I met her upon arrival home from school. I walked by the bags on my way to & from the mailbox. Something tugged at me each time. As if a spell had come over me, I felt compelled to create! I'm sure the possibilities are endless, but here's what transpired.

Boring bag of clippings/leaves

Roll of white paper & double-wide construction paper

Introducing Ms. Witch!

I didn't use any patterns...just drew on the construction paper freehand. And everything you see is from construction paper except the witch's hat that I got on clearance two years ago for $.19.