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Friday, November 30, 2007

It's CHOCOLATE!!!

I did it. I finally talked myself into getting a chocolate fountain. I could never justify the extravagance to myself until a few weeks ago when I went to the baby shower. They had a chocolate fountain there with all kinds of fruity goodness and other dipping pleasures and it was SOOOOOOOO good! That clinched it for me. That made me know that it absolutely was an extravagance that I owed to myself. So tonight, I took my 40% coupon to Michael's and bought that bad boy! Holds 4 lbs. of chocolate!

Sorry the picture is blurry, but I was so excited I was shaking when I took the picture! This is CHOCOLATE, baby, we're talkin' CHOCOLATE! All warm and gooey and dripping with sweet, wonderful, chocolatey goodness! We'll be using it at our Women's Fellowship Christmas party in two weeks. Can I wait that long? I'll try really hard, but I may have to try it out before, you know, just to make sure everything is in proper working order. If you've never tried one of these before, just let me tell you, it is wonderful. Even if you're not a choco-holic, this will corrupt you into becoming one! TTFN :-)

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Persistence Pays Off

You know, sometimes I get really ticked off at people who just seem to be stupid. Case in point, on Monday of this week, I went to Michael's because it was the last day to use a 50% off coupon and I wanted to buy this jar.

I went to the Michael's that is nearest my house. The only jar of this style and size they had left in the entire store had been filled with mini pinecones and other junk that I didn't want, and set at the end of the aisle for display purposes. The regular price for it is $29.99, so you can see why I wanted to use a 50% coupon. Well, I started to find some place to dump out the pinecone junk before going to the checkout. But then I thought the store might not appreciate me just dumping it somewhere, plus I'm prone to clumsiness, and figured I'd end up spilling it all over the floor. So I went up to the register, jar full of pinecones in tow. I stood in line for about 10 minutes, because this particular Michael's is so poorly managed that you always have to stand in long lines because no one works. I finally got up to the register, and I asked the girl working there if she could dump the stuff out, because I didn't want it. So she asked another worker, who said to call the store manager. So she calls the store manager and asks her if she can dump it out. The store manager apparantly told her No, if it was a display, then it's not for sale. So the girls repeats to me what the manager said. I said, But it's the last one you have. You can't sell it to me? So she calls the manager again, and again, the manager says it's not for sale. This fried me. How stupid is that? If it's the last one in the store, what good does it do to have it displayed? Displayed for what? So people like me can see what they can't purchase? A very dear friend of mine, who's now passed away, once told me that ignorance would be the very hardest thing to deal with in dealing with people. Boy, was she ever right about that! So, I took my coupon and left the store in a huff! I went to another Michael's, about 10 miles from my house, and they didn't have that jar, but did have another which I was willing to fork out the $15 bucks for, so I got it.
So today, I got another flyer in the mail from Michael's with another 50% coupon, but it was only good today from noon until 10:00 p.m. Off I go to another Michael's, a little closer to home, but still a putt, and they had NO JARS in any style or size or price range. I decided to go back to my original Michael's, and if they still had the jar I wanted, I would dump the stuff out of it myself, and go to the register and pay for it like a normal person. Not that I'm normal, mind you, but I would act like a normie for the sakc of GETTING MY JAR!!!! Guess what? When I walked to the aisle where the jars are kept, that jar was there, pinecone junk gone, but still showing the dusty residue where they had been, so I grabbed that baby and went like a mad woman to the register and bought it, using my coupon, before anybody had time to think about whether or not it was supposed to be for sale or "just on display". Mission accomplished. People who work in retail just need to learn not to mess with me. When I'm on a mission, I WILL succeed. Maybe later, rather than sooner, but I WILL succeed! TTNT, :=)

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

New Turkey Recipe

Your dinner will be the talk of the TOWN!!
You should try this! Sure to bring smiles from your guests!
Here is a new way to prepare your Thanksgiving Turkey.
1. Cut out aluminum foil in desired shapes.
2. Arrange the turkey in the roasting pan, position the foil carefully. (see picture)
3. Roast according to your own recipe and serve.
4. Watch your guests' faces...



May your stuffing be tasty, May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious, And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Christmas Crackers

Last year in December I catered a tea party for a friend's church's Women's Fellowship. I made Christmas Crackers filled with teacup and teapot shaped chocolates that I made, plus little packets of tea. They turned out so cute. So this year, for my church's Women's Fellowship Annual Christmas party, I decided to make the crackers again, only this time I decided to make them be the invitations to the party. So a couple of months ago, Esther and I started saving toilet paper rolls. Then I filled them with little bags of red and green peppermint candies plus a piece of chocolate (no candy stash is complete without chocolate), rolled them in red tissue paper, and tied the ends with gold ribbons.Next, I found these pretty decorated cards that I had left over from several years ago, so I printed all the invitation information on them, and then glued them around the red rolls. They turned out so cute, I think. So here's a close-up of one...And here's a shot of a couple more completed...
Since these will hand-delivered to each lady in our church, I don't have to worry about how to "mail" them.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

This Saturday I will be attending a baby shower for a young lady that I have known since she was just a baby herself. Her parents began attending our church when she was just about 11 months old. So I have literally watched her grow up and now she is about to become a mommy herself. I am so proud of her. She is sweet and beautiful, and very talented, as well. He dad is an associate of ours and has a Motorcycle Ministry. They do outreach services every Friday night at the church, and mom-to-be Kelly, along with her husband, plays guitar and leads worship for her dad's service every week.
I just finished putting together this diaper cake, with Winnie The Pooh "stuff" decorating it. I think these are becoming my "signature" gift for baby showers, as this is the fourth one I've made and given away since June.
Here's a shot of it before I packaged it all up. The little stuffed Pooh Bear on top is also musical. And he's holding a Pooh pacifier, and the teething ring in the center is also Classic Pooh.
I got this little laundry basket at WalMart, then filled it with all kinds of bathing/grooming stuff for baby. There is hooded bath towels, washcloths, baby wash, baby shampoo, lotion, powder, wipes, soap, manicure set, a snot-sucker, bibs, pacifiers, and a cute little pair of "slippers", plus a couple of receiving blankets.