Paper Expressions Rubber Stamping & Video Tutorials

David Archuleta Sings Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas

Give the Gift Of Creativity

 
  

Give the gift of creativity and Stampin Up! Gift Certificates make the PERFECT gift!  Available in any denomination (US FUNDS ONLY) you request and mailed immediately to your loved one or friends inside a hand crafted Christmas card.

Call me with your credit card info and I will have your gift certificate in the mail today!

Or, use them as stocking stuffers, Birthday gifts, anniversary gifts or just because you are special gifts!

These are available year around.

You can also order product HERE, and choose 2 day shipping (for extra of course) and have your gift arrive just in time for Christmas!

 

12 Days of Holiday Sales!

Find great deals on Big Shot dies and select Big Shot supplies—December 11-22 only! Visit my Online Store to find great deals today!!

Candy making Crisis or was it a Fiasco?

Hello blog friends!

I have a funny story to share with you that happened on Wednesday.  I was up at 8 am making candies. My kids love this particular candy and I was about at the end of the 4th batch when the phone rang.... "good morning" (says I)  "hello? I would like to speak to Gwen"  and so the conversation went.  Jeanne had found my name in the demostrator locator on the main Stampin Up Site- (yay!) and called me because she had moved locally from Michigan a few months ago and wanted to sign up with me to become a demonstrator-  YAHOOO!

I added the flavoring oil to my batch of candy stirred it and poured it in the pan.

 

After puring the candy on a greased cookie sheet and putting the pan in the sink , I just pulled the next pan onto the burner to start the next batch and walked into my office to chat and totally forgot it was on the stove! A while into the conversation I hear loud sirens in my house-  GASP what is that?  Its all 4 upstairs fire alarms going off!!  When I got to the kitchen the pan of candy was on fire, teh stove top where it boiled over was on fire and I said-  my candy is on fire I gotta go and hung up grabbed the fire extinguisher and in 2 short sprays it was out-  sheesh!  I NEVER do things like that!  so here is a photo of the pan of burned candy after it was out on my deck cooling off so I can throw the pan and everything away today and open up the entire house and garage doors too! Smoke everywhere and stink- pew!

 
The entire thing looked like moulten lava when I came into the kitchen yesterday roflol-

So after I got the fire out quickly, I called Jeanne Back and guess what? She is now my newest recruit! She was so sweet and understanding and so fun to chat with! I am thrilled to have her in my group!

I didn't try to make anymore candy yesterday lol  wondering if I should today....... or maybe try cookies today instead, after all I need some for the Christmas Choir concert tonight.

Hope your candy making goes smooth and the bad thing?  The flames melted the handle on my microwave above the stove! but that is replacable phew and thank you Heavenly Father for my many blessings because if it werent for the smoke alarms, it could have been a lot worse!

hugs to all

 

Go Fish

AMEN!

HOME TOUR DAY!

I mentioned we were asked to participate in the local Christmas home tour. Tickets are 10.00 and there are 4 homes on the tour- times are 10-4 today.

It's quite an honor that your community thinks your decorating style, decorations and home are great enough to want to show them off to the public! WOW! And we are always happy to help supporthe local Senior Center any chance we get!

In between visitors today, I am adding the last of the photos to my webshots photo album!  See you tomorrow and have a great and productive day. The best part of all this home tour stuff?  My house is READY for the holidays!  We also have friends coming tomorrow from 3-5 to see our home.

CLICK HERE for photos

Cookies Cookies and Tons of FUN!

We have  new members of our extended family in our lives that we just love, love, love! The Buckners- be SURE to check out their awesome website HERE.  Kay and I are truly blessed that they have taken us into their lives.

A couple days ago I posted here on my blog that I made a batch of roll cookies and I also posted the recipe. We used that dough last night to create the most fun day I have had in   a VERY long time!

(have you posted your favorite Christmas cookie recipe in the comments section on that post to win a prize yet?)

I do plan to traditionally scrapbook these photos, but I wanted to share our Christmas fun with all of you right away!

ok here we go........   add in your minds, lots of giggling, laughing and chatting and silently think of the joy it brought to my heart and soul and the gratitude and blessings I felt.

I LOVE Stephanie's Missionary cookies!  tie and name tag included!

Nice Horse James!

they are as delicious as the look! (maybe more delishus than they look! lol)

Tonight I have a workshop in Monett, Missouri,(Missourah for the natives)  so I am off to pack up make and takes and KAY"s make and take (a gift card holder) I have a box and tag set and we are excited to meet and make new friends! See you here tomorrow!

My daughter is coming home today to finish her senior year here, and I am thrilled to have her sweet spirit in my life again.

have a great day, and may your cookies all turn out awesome!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Cookie Recipes & FREE Gift

Baking for Christmas? check the betty crocker website for recipes!

 

 

 

I just made my first batch of cut out dough using my grammas rolled cookie recipe (old recipe and my favorite! lol)

altho the cookie dough is made, it won't be baked until Thursday- that is one of the resons I love grammas recipe, you make it and refrig it in tupperware and it lasts for a few days until you have time to cut them out and bake them. My mom also used to roll the dough into a roll and freeze it and then take it out and slice and bake when needed! Kids LOVE helping with this project and love frosting them! Great time killer when they are bored!  You can change the flavoring from vanilla to lemon or almond for amazing cookies too!

Top 10 Cookie Baking Secrets....

http://assets.idpk.net/gmi/bc/pdf/BC_2009-12-3_TIPS-3-3.pdf

 

Ok readers-  share your favorite delicious cookie recipe in the comments section only and your name will go in a drawing for a surprise gift!

here is my recipe share for a traditional cookie baked at our home during Christmas and Valentines and Easter!

My Mom & Grammas Recipe for

Rolled Cookies

6 TBSP  canned milk or cream  (evaporated milk is canned milk)

6 eggs

2 TSP vanilla

1 1/2 c shortening (crisco)

3 c sugar

mix together and then add

1 1/2 TSP salt

3/4 TSP baking soda

7 1/2 c flour

mix and roll out and use shaped cookie cutters   place on cookie sheets sprayed with pam or something similar

bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

your family is going to love these!

Have a wonderful day!

Our Ward party

Here are a few photos we took Friday night at our Ward Christmas party

a Ward is a geographical term for congregation -

The kids flock to Kay, he is the ward "grampa"  they love him and he loves them

 it's the empty nesters rendition of the Beach boys tune- RUN RUN REINDEER- we laughed so hard we snorted!

what are empty nesters?  Its a Family home evening group of all the people who's kids are no longer living at home!

 and Kris was the reindeer! yes his nose blinked roflol it was to funny

 
 Ashley! I thougth you smiled not pulled a funny face!  You SHOULD hear this girl sing! WOWzA
 Santa came to say:  Rudolph with your nose so bright- go get me some cookies!

We had great food, fabulous fellowship and we LDS (Mormons) Always throw a great party!