Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

As the holidays approach, it's time to start those platters of treats to give to friends and family. This is an easy treat that tastes delicious and makes about 3 dozen cookies (maybe more depending on how big you make them).

Recipe:
2 eggs
2 cubes of unsalted butter (softened)
2 cups brown sugar
Cream together. Add:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix well. Add:
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cup flour (don't level off the top.

Mix and drop onto cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes

Birthday/Christmas Comes Early

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet! On Black Friday we checked out the Bernia store to see if they had any good sales on sewing machines. Guess what! THEY DID!!!!!
I got a new sewing machine that regularly sales for $1069 for a mere........ wait for it...... $799. This sewing machine is the mac-daddy of sewing machines. It has over 50 different styles of stitches, it does embroidery, surger stitch, self threading, it even does monograms, plus it even sews on a button, and it does so much more. Hubby's parents and my parents all chipped in money to make this the most amazing gift ever! I can't wait to put this puppy to use. I will be spending the morning reading the owner's manual. I am so giddy!
Hubby says this is all I get for my birthday and Christmas presents, I am a Decemeber baby! I am OKAY with that because I am in heaven!

It comes with this great cover that has large pockets for storage!


Here she is in all its glory! Hello gorgeous! I think I will name her Gigi!

Gift Ideas

I am giving this as a bridal shower gift, but it would be great for a homemade Christmas gift too. I made a set of 4 coasters and matching hand towels. I also copied a bunch of my favorite recipes and will be including those too.



Set of 4 Coasters:
cut 8 4 1/2" X 4 1/2" squares
take two squares and pin RST (right sides together). Sew around leaving a small opening to flip right side out.
Press sews flat and sew around the edges, making sure to catch the opening so it is sew shut.. Continue around in a square spiral to the very center of coaster.
Here is a close up so you see how I spiraled mine. It isn't perfect, but I think that is part of the charm.


Press flat. Repeat for remaining 3 coasters.
I will do a photo tutorial of the hand towels later. They are a little more complicated, but still easy.

Christmas

This is the 1st time my hubby and I have put up Christmas lights. We have always lived in an apartment, so on Black Friday we spent the day decorating! YEAH!
Here is a peak at our handy work!

Front view. yes I realize there is a few lights out above the garage, but it is late.


Colored lights and our Christmas tree in the bay window


Close up of our walk way. We have a row of bushes in colored lights!


It's hard to see what is on the left. It is cute little Christmas trees.


Our front door. I LOVE it.


I wrapped red ribbon around the garland.

Tutorial

So, I have had many people ask me how I find time to blog every day. The answer is, I don't. I post for every day because I figured something out. I am going to teach everyone how to set your date so a new post will be published automatically. Then you can post date posts and they will be published on the date and time you want!
It is sooooooo easy.
Sense I am not technically advanced, I just took pictures of my computer screen with my camera. Amazing, I know!

When you are in the New Post section, down at the bottom in blue it says, "Post Options" Click on it.


A box will drop down.


On the far right side is the date and time. You type in the date and time you want your post to be published.


Click publish post.

You will be sent to Edit Posts. On the far right, you should see "scheduled" Those are all the posts that are not published yet, but will be automatically published on the time and date you chose!


This is really basic and step by step. I know many of you are techno geniuses, but I tend to learn best with step by step instructions. So, I tend to explain that way too.

Coming Soon

Hobby Lobby!!!!!!! It's true. There is one being built about 8 minutes from me (that's 8 minutes of traffic lights.) YIPPEE!

Hobby Lobby, you are my dearest friend and I can't wait for your grand opening so I can fill my shopping cart full of goods. You know I will be one of the 1st 100 people there! YEAH!

Give Thanks

I made some 'Give Thanks' blocks to sit on my mantel. They turned out really cute. I seriously can't stop looking at them and giggling. I have fallen in love!


Here is close up of the 'Give'


Here is a close up of the 'Thanks'


Remember these blocks?


I decided I needed some bling on the 'H' on my harvest blocks

Christmas in November

My sister gave me this wooden Christmas tree a long time ago. When we moved, I remembered I had it. (It had been in our storage room for 4 years!) So, my brain was mulling it over the other day and I had an incredible idea of how to put it to use!


1st: I primed it (i will use less paint now)!


2nd: I painted it green.

3rd: Add 12 pegs. I wanted to do a rustic hook, but didn't find anything that would work, so I used wooden pegs instead. I just hammered them in and painted them green.


I wrapped some ribbon around it and tide a big bow at the bottom. I got these little ornaments are Hobby Lobby for 50% off! Perfect for the open holes.



I got these little sacks at hobby lobby too. I just put stickers on the front and taped some wire onto it.




4th: Put sacks onto tree! Here is our count down to Christmas tree!


here's a close up of those cute little bags.

5th: Add the star on top. I still have to fix the star, but hubby didn't know where his wire cutters were, so it will have to wait for another day. I am going to make the star sit closer to the wood and sit straight;)

Making Blocks

I liked the joy blocks I made for my swapping partner so much, I decided to make some for myself. I did mine a little different, but the idea is the same. THIS is what the other blocks looked like. I sprayed glitter all over mine because I love glam and glits!

I also made these "Harvest" blocks. I am REALLY slow with Thanksgiving decor, but better late then never!

I think I want to add some gems to the 'H' what do you think?

Traveling Fabric High Chair

I used THIS tutorial! It is so easy, I made mine in about 45 minutes (that includes cutting, sewing, and ironing).
I am so excited to take this home with us at Christmas time. There has been many times where I needed some way to secure my little sweetie into a chair, but the booster or high chair were occupied. Now we will always have something for her!


SO, I did make one mistake. I sewed the velcro on the inside on both ends. Whoops. I had to take it of and put one on the front. Now it works properly!

Harvest Decor

A little late, but I am slow with my Thanksgiving decor. Hobby Lobby had all of their fall decor on sale for 80% off. So, I got this pilgrim and Indian women.


I also got this bushel of wheat for 80% off too. My friend had given me this ice container. I just hot glued the wheat inside and wrapped some ribbon around the outside for a little extra punch! Not to shabby! I had some gold beads that I glued onto the knot to look a little more finished. I like it!

Magnified

Depression is a interesting thing. It hides in the farther reaches of your brain and springs out when you least expect it, but retreats before you can dissect it's cause.
I have learned a lot about people through this trial. I have seen people who learn of my story pull farther away from me, afraid that if they touch me or come to close, they too will be infected. People who once smiled and stopped to talk, give me a 'knowing' wavering smile, but no longer willing to be-friend a depressed person.
I find myself pulling farther and farther away from the "world". I feel to fragile to build on relationships that are so fickle. I can't handle their scrutiny and false friendships. It hurts to bad, I feel more alone when I realize it was all a facade, so I am better off without such things!?! Or am I?
I have come to see and feel more deeply for those around me. My heart aches for others who struggle, even wallow in trials. I wish to ease other's burdens, to lighten their load because I have often wished someone would do the same for me. I have not had many people who were willing to lighten my load; however, my family was usually the only ones willing to come to my aid. The one person who always stood beside me was my spouse. He was never afraid to touch me, never pulled away, never embarrassed or ashamed of me. He held me as I cried, prayed with me for answers, and cheered me up. I am eternally grateful for his true love. Without him, this trial would be truly unbearable.
I have found my true friends. The ones who still call, still interact with me, still care for my well being. The true friends who don't feel like I am just extra baggage, they are the ones who pushed me to try harder, loved me despite myself, and hugged me when I needed it. Thanks to those few angels who strengthened me and showed true Christ like love.
I am not a plague, I am not contagious, I am a woman who has a disease, a chemical imbalance, a trial. I am a woman who is willing to share this story in hopes that someone out there will feel my love and strength. That someone will know you do not need to be embarrassed or ashamed because we are all in this together. We all have trials, though they may be vastly different, may we each learn from each other and lift one another. Let us lift instead of bring down, let us cheer and brighten, instead of hurt and demean. Let us love each other because of our differences. That is what I have learned through this. That is what I have come to KNOW. Everyone needs someone to lighten their load, and I hope that this blog may do that for others.

Family Home Evening

So, ever Monday night, our family has what we call Family Home Evening. We share a gospel lesson, sing, pray, do a fun activity, then eat yummy treats!
I found THIS recipe from The Idea Room. This is a great cite which I HEART! I stole her picture, but to get the recipe, you have to visit her cite!

If I were to make them over, I would make a cream cheese frosting instead because I like it better. Instead of using butter and shortening, use cream cheese. Use just enough powdered sugar to get creamy consistency that you want!

This is the De-Lish treat we had for FHE! The kiddos helped make them and frost them, so we had the activity and treat covered!

Doesn't your mouth water just looking at how gorgeous this is!?!

Reading List

Here is a never ending list of books. I bold-ed the ones I have read. "Take a look, it's in a book...."

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

King Lear by William Shakespeare

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Japrisot

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham

Still, it's difficult to dispute the Top 100 Novels, selected by readers, not by pedants. (However, I find some of these selections disputable!) Still, I've bolded ones I've read, and starred the ones I've read parts of. I suppose we can call these "books that other people are convinced matter." :) For the most part, I can agree.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

*2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

*6 The Bible (I've read the seminary assignments, and I find that rather impressive. How many people really have read the Bible from cover to cover? I suppose that's why it's on the list.)

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (Do I get triple points since I’ve read it three times???)

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

*14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (Really? All of them? I’ve read 12 plays and lots of sonnets…)

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

*17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

*20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

*21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

*33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma - Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (I will never read this book)

- Hide quoted text -

38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (Is this book really on this list?)

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

*53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

*54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (May I screech? Favorite!!)

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (Abridged….)

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

*68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding (Really?)

69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

*72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

*84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte's Web - EB White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (The abridged version.)

My Art Show

Ladies and Gentleman come one come all! Put your hands together for the world renown artist, the one, the only, B-dowg!!!!

The following medium is color pencil: Enjoy


This is "A Wonder Land" I did for my niece. She is really excited about it! I just kind of got a few inspirations off the internet and then went to town.


This is "The Puppy" This is my first ever attempt at color pencil. I copied it from a card I had. Don't compare them too closely because it's not perfect, but I'm pleased with the results.


This is the card I copied it from. I used a grid and just went square by square.


.
This is the picture framed. I thought my sister picked out a great frame for it. My nephew carries all around because he loves it so much!

Shopping Carts

4 years ago, I made a shopping cart cover for my baby boy;) Let's just say my daughter now uses it! At that time, I started making a bunch, but I never finished all of them. Here is one that I just completed. I really like the peach color! I have 4 more to finish. I got the pattern at Wal-mart if any one is interested in making their own.
I just used bias tape around the legs.


For the straps to go through, I made a x-large button hole.

Be Grateful

For a fall decor, I just printed this off my computer and mod podged it onto a frame I found at Wal-Mart for $3. I didn't have to do anything to the frame because it was already the rusty copper color I wanted. YEAH! It took me a bit to get it right, but I am sharing the love. Email me if you want the files and directions to this project at brenbren13 (at) ymail (dot) com. Although, I hadn't fixed this in the picture, I did move the "grat" and "eful" closer, but I had already made mine, so this is what you get to look at until you finish yours!

Getting My Craft On

First off, I still have not heard back from Sarah, SOOOOOO I chose another winner and it was........................

John and Alisha Stults said... I just found your blog, and I am enjoying seeing the things you have made. I hope I win! I have a friend who is having a baby, and I would love to give her something handmade.

I emailed you (check your spam if you don't see it in your inbox), but I need you to email me what you want and your address to mail it to.

Now, I got my craft on today because I have a double baby shower to attend. One is having a boy and the other a girl.

I made a bib and put an airplane applique on it. I drew the pattern. I also made a tie onesie and pacifier clip.


I made a bib with a strawberry applique. I drew the pattern.


I also made her 2 flower clips and a hair bow. I made a matching pacifier clip.


Then I made this SaWeet onesie. I just cut this flower from some fabric I had.


Then I added 3 ruffles on the bum. Sooooooo, cute!


I folded these boxes using 12x12 paper. I didn't have any gift bags and I didn't feel like spending money on them. I already had the scrapbook paper, so I put it to use. I stuffed the presents inside.


Then I tide a ribbon around it... well the hair band went around one. It wouldn't fit inside, but it worked out just fine.