Merry Christmas to you

Christmas came and went too fast. It was a good one though! I took my mama to the Biltmore House in Asheville for the Candlelight Tour....SOO beautiful! It even snowed when we were there. We had such a good time together.

I wanted to make someithng really special for my grandparents this year for Christmas. So at Thanksgiving when the whole family was together I got sneaky and took some pictures of each grandkid each with a solid wooden letter.

I had looked into getting it matted at Michaels but of course I couldn't let myself pay $150 to have that done, so I got some artist painting canvas and tried it myself. It's a little crooked but hey it added character...and only cost about $10 to do. My Nannie loved it!

Happy New Year!

Winter Festivities

The temperatures have finally dropped and winter is finally here! Christmas is next week and the year is coming to an end....so is deer season. Ben and I both got lucky this week. Now we have a freezer full!

This week I also got to see my best friend Miranda graduate from Appalachian State University...something she never believed she could do (but I did!) It just proves you can do anything you put your mind to. I went to Boone this past weekend for the commencement and I froze my tail off but I couldn't have been more proud. I am so glad I could be there on her special day. She will go so far!

This time of year is so busy, sometimes it's hard to find the time to stop and think about all the wonderful things we have in life. I've really counted my blessings hard this week, life is good!

Homemade Wreaths

All this warm weather we've been having is making me have a hard time getting into the holiday spirit.....until today! My mom, my aunt Deborah and my cousin Stephanie and I went to a wreath making class this morning at Tom's Creek Nursery in Farmer. This is a beautiful place, if you ever have a chance to go I recommend it! We spent three hours of our morning in the plant-filled greenhouse with hot chocolate, cookies, Christmas music, and lots and LOTS of laughter. You really can't buy a wreath for the price of making one of your own. We had such a great time making wreaths from fresh greenery and berries all grown at the nursery, and they smell so good!

 Stephanie's wreath

 

Our moms' wreaths.....my mom can barely see through hers!

My mom's wreath on the porch at home.

My wreath! I'm so proud! :)

Boss's Day.....and Chocolate Creme filled Snickers Cupcakes

 October 17th is boss's day, for those of you who actually enjoy your boss. I myself have been blessed with good ones so decided to thank them with a little something from the kitchen. Some others in the office got together and got some personalized coffee mugs so I filled them with some cute and festive acorns made of doughnut holes. 

Acorn Doughnuts

Dip the doughnut hole in nutella, then dip in chocolate sprinkles. break off part of a pretzel stick and use that as the acorn stem. These are super quick and easy! You can use peanut butter or chocolate icing instead of the nutella too if you prefer.

 

Along with these gifts, I made cupcakes for the whole office (including me!) to enjoy. They were probably the best cupcakes I've ever made and should be eaten with a big glass of milk. Yummm.

 Chocolate Creme filled Snickers Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

1 Devils Food Cake Mix

1 sm box of chocolate instant pudding

4 eggs

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 c milk

1 c sour cream

For the Chocolate Creme Filling:

2 c heavy whipping cream

2 c melted chocolate chips

For the Chocolate Buttercream Icing:

1 stick butter

2 1/2 c powdered sugar

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Combine ingredients for cupcake batter and pour into 24 lined cupcake tins. Bake on 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. While cupcakes are cooling, make the chocolate creme. Whip the heavy cream with a mixer until is becomes very fluffy. This sometimes takes awhile. Fold in melted chocolate chips until a completely mixed. Put creme in a plastic baggie and cut the corner out so it can be piped into the cupcake centers. After cupcakes have completely cooled, fill each cupcake with a good squeeze of chocolate creme.

Mix ingredients with a mixer to make chocolate icing until well combined and pipe onto each cupcake. Top icing with chopped up snickers bars. Get a big glass of milk and enjoy yourself.

My Spoiled Beagle

So it has officially been one year since I found my beloved beagle Barney walking down the road in good ole' Randolph County. What a wonderful year it has been! A late September Saturday morning, sitting on the porch drinking coffee with my mama, and he just came stumbling down the road, skin and bones but with a sweet welcoming smile on his face. My mama told me Jesus sent him to me, so after that of course I had to make him mine. Since I have no idea when he was really born, I will call this his birthday. To celebrate my little booger's special day, I made homemade Peanut Butter dog biscuits for him and his friends.

Baked Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 c flour

1/2 c milk

1/4 c dry oats
1 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp applesauce

2/3 c creamy peanut butter

Mix all ingredients and form a dough to roll out about 1/2 inch think. Using a cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and place on a cookie sheet. Bake on 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let them cool and store in an airtight container. Your little friend will love you. :)

Learning Everyday

So last night I tried something I've been wanting to do for awhile now, I went to a painting class! I cannot and have not ever painted anything before, being that I'm not exactly that coordinated, but I thought it'd be fun. And it really was! I attended a "Wine Down with Nikki Cherry" class at the Colorshow Gallery in Asheboro...if you ever are in town I recommend doing this, she posts classes online at thepreppypossum with different pictures each time. It was so much fun and I got to learn something new! I can't wait to do another, hopefully a cow. I love cows. Almost as much as my brother loves squirrels. Looks like my brother's getting a homemade birthday present this year :D

Starting this Blogging Thing

I'm a 23 year old NC State grad (Go Wolfpack!) starting my career as a Biological Engineer in the big city and I've found that the real world is pretty overwelming. To keep myself sane, I try to stay true to my roots with my many hobbies....baking, cooking (comfort food), canning and preserving, hunting and fishing, animals, arts and crafts and watching my garden grow. I'm in love with my Maker and I try to keep life as simple as possible in this busy busy world.