BIG BRAG ABOUT TO BE TOLD!!!!!!!

I HIT 300 SALES NOT BY THE END OF THE YEAR,

BUT BY THE END OF NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CAN I JUST SAY, WOW, GOD IT GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can I just BRAG a moment????

OH, it doesn't matter if you don't want me to... I am going to do it anyways!
Yesterday I not only sold 15 Doll Diapers, but I also sold an I spy quilt and a small I spy blanket. All in one day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yippie, God is soooo good! I was afraid I made my GOAL of hitting 300 sales by the end of the year tooooo steep, but I am already at 282, so maybe not a hard to reach goal after all!
THANKS for letting me brag a moment... I am just so excited!

Gratituesday: Shutterfly

Do any of you use shutterfly???
Today I am grateful for their photo books!

I find that I do not have much time anymore for scrapbooking and their photo books are the PERFECT thing to do instead of scrapbook!

The downside for me is that I have DIAL UP and it takes forever and ever to do each page... in fact I was at it for more than 2 1/2 hours...

but I am now done and our TRIP TO SOUTH DAKOTA is now in a perfect little book that will soon be on the way to my house...

NO scrapbook supplies used, NO cutting, NO writting, NOTHING!

Just pick up photos and DROP them into place!

If you have never tried it, run there and check it out!

Check out more gratituesdays at heavenlyhomemakers

Spring at my house?????

YES- you read that right... SPRING as sprung here... at least in my kitchen it has!

This is what I wandered into the kitchen to see on Sunday Morning! What a glorious gift from God!

Just thought I would share the WARMTH (oh and this morning I woke up to snow!!!!!!!! Just not in the kitchen!)

Also, I am making APPLE BUTTER in the crock pot today... my house smells so yummy, I can't wait to CAN this later and eat it up over the next couple of months! I will also be giving some pints away for christmas! AND since we canned the apple sauce with FREE apples, the out of pocket cost is very little (with the exception of the jar!)

Can you smell the cinnamon from there??????????

Cockpot Apple Butter

8 C. apple sauce

4 C. Sugar

4 t. cinnamon

2 t. allspice

2 t. nutmeg

2 t. cloves

Stir altogether and place in a crockpot, cover off, turned on high for 6-7 hours.

Fill pint jar and hotwater bath for 10 min.

Can also be frozen or stored in the fridge for a month.

Just think, this on top of pancakes with some whipping cream whipped up! YUM, apple pie for sure!!!!!!! OR spread on some homemade apple bread......Look for this recipe in the near future! It is a long time favorite at our house!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Ok, it has been a few weeks since a THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!!
So here is one to get your butt movin' for Chirstmas time....!

START YOUR GIFT LIST.... if you don't have one already!
You don't want to OVERSPEND or buy more than you meant to, or FORGET someone!

Start with a budget first.... (here is a SHEET you can use! you can break it down using THIS )
-what do you have to spend in the first place????? DO NOT CHARGE GIFTS!!!! NO ONE wants you to go into debt just to IMPRESS THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So be honest about what you have to spend!
-Figure out what you can MAKE to give away! This will save Money and it will IMPRESS others!
*Cookie mix in a jar
*Baked Goods
*Sew Something for them
*Put together a book of your favorite recipes

ALSO here is SITE with gift ideas under $10!!!!!!

Start this NOW before you budget gets out of hand!!!! Stick to it!!!! It will feel SOOOO GOOD when the new year comes and you DON'T get a Credit Card Bill in the mail making you feel horrible about the holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember to give of YOURSELF this holiday season!!!! People like to receive services! Give your friends and family YOURSELF!
Coupons for babysitting, a COOKIE of the month club, a Meal of the month club (this is great for family members or BUSY moms!), A girls night out, A Day of helping them Clean up, etc.....
You know what you are good at.... JUST DO IT, instead of BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW, where have I been?????

AND, did anyone miss me??????
Life has been turning so quickly lately.......
Jim's new job started last monday and that threw a whole new change into our lives... NO LONGER do we eat at 4:45, but now at 5:45..... AND I now have to do most of the homework BEFORE Jim gets home from work.... again, big change takes awhile........
I have also been really busy getting ready for a craft fair I am doing on Saturday THIS WEEK!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AM I READY?????????? I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doll Diapers have been selling like MAD in my Etsy shop... which is keeping me way tooo busy!
AND the girls have been into reading and painting lately, so that keeps my mouth busy and my hands cleaning up busy!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND I know things will not slow down until after the holidays, because my TO DO LIST for gifts to make and things to make that others have bought is just getting longer and longer.....
DON'T GET ME WRONG, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it is what I have been praying about, so I am in no means complaining.... just venting!!!!!!!!!!!!

Better run to sew some more!!!!!!!!! LOL! How many doll diapers will I get done this afternoon??????

WOW, this lady does great work!!!!!!!

I was contacted by a woman on etsy because she NEEDED some Doll Diapers for her daughter.... and wanted to trade! SOOOO, here is what she made for me! and I am sending her 4 doll diapers and a girls apron in return! Isn't it super cute! She is sending me 20 blank cards!

You can find her shop HERE on etsy.... Her shop name is finalidesign !!!!!!

They look just like my kids! (well, maybe the oldest girl should be a TAD taller, but other than that.... I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I might just have to get a BIG print done of it!!!!!!!!!

TOOTSIE ROLLS

Alright, who loves tootsie rolls???? I know I USED to love them! They used to be one of my MOST FAVORITE candies!!!!!!!!! But after reading the lable one day, I had to GIVE THEM UP!

here is what the REAL ONES... have in them....

INGREDIENTS:Sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, condensed skim milk, cocoa, whey, soya lecithin, artificial and natural flavors

Here is what mine have in them.....

1 C. Sugar

1/2 C. Sugar syrup (homemade-like corn syrup)

1/4 C. Butter

1/4 C. Cocoa

1/4 C. Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 T. Water

1/2 t. vanilla

Pinch of salt

No corn syrup, no HYDROGENATED oils, no whey, no soya lecithin, and NO artificial flavors!!!!

THEY were hard to make though, I will tell you that! This is what it did to my hands after the first 10 min of pulling and twisting the candy! (see the NICE little blister??? OUCH!)

AND they were very hard to twist and pull the second time around... and hard to roll into snakes! BUT they do taste yummy, so I will maybe do them again someday!!!!!!!!!!!! For now we will slowly eat our yummy candy and make it last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**********************UPDATE****************

These things were good when they were first done! BUT they got all dry and crumbly after sitting in a container for a few hours... GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRR!!! I will have to try that again!!!!!!!!

I also made ENGLISH MUFFINS today! YUMMY! I will have to do a tutorial on those next time I make them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did learn that the VERY BEST way to cut them is to NOT cut them at all, but to "CUT" them with a fork! Poking it is all around it! VERY AIRY! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

RUN RUN RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Run to this womans BLOG(one of my most favorite blogs out there I must add!) and check out her giveaway for her Year Web-aniversary!
It features ME ME ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Run there and check it out!
I feel soooo darn privilaged I could cry!
PLUS you will get a chance to win a TOTE from ME ME ME!

Gratituesday: A NEW JOB!!!!

Ok, not to beat a dead horse, but my hubby GOT THE JOB!!!!!!! YES, you heard me right! GOT THE JOB!!!!!

Life will change around here starting next Monday and MONEY will be VERY TIGHT for awhile while we have to pay our $900 Health ins. ourselves for 2 months (who has that kind of money lying around????) BUT I know GOD is in control and that this is an answer to our prayers! SOOO I will put it all in his hands and let him have that control! I will NOT worry about things and when I start to, I will PRAY!!!!!

THANKS to all who prayed for my hubby last week!

Good things are happening all around us!

Take the time to notice them!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read more gratituesday at heavenlyhomemakers

Halloween FUN!

So here is what my children ended up looking like before we headed out to trick or treat!!!

Aren't they CUTE!!!????

And for Supper, here is our Halloween supper!

Bones and Blood

(Parmesan flat bread and sauce)

Brains in a Skull

(mashed potatoes in a Cabbage Leaf)

Frankenstiens Guts

(Canned meat)

It was the best I could come up with because I procrastinated until yesterday... maybe next year I will brainstorm further in advance!

Of course, my kids scored lots of candy even though we only hit maybe 15 houses or so in our old neighborhood (where we both grew up!) I made them pool it all together this morning and then kept only the chocolate and some WHITE boes that the inlaws gave them.... The rest is heading to my work with me today (the tootsie rolls are going too since they have TRANS FATS in them... OUCH, they used to be my favorite candy!) Only my 6 yr old is upset at the candy leaving... the others (except the 2 yr old who could care less) know that it is for their own good! NOW to find out what is in a butterfinger!