Happy Birthday To Me!

It's my birthday! What, you forgot? No big deal. I'm used to it. :-)

To answer the inevitable questions, yes it does SUCK having a birthday so close to Christmas. Yes, I got lots of "Merry Christmas / Happy Birthday" presents and cards when I was growing up. Yes, people - even close friends and family - forget my birthday.

But you, my lucky blog readers, get to share this amazing birthday cake with me! And the best part is, ZERO calories! So enjoy!

"The True Meaning of Christmas"

There are so many movies, cartoons, cards, books, songs, and what-have-you that want us all to remember "the true meaning of Christmas" at this time of year. Usually the theme is that Christmas isn't about getting stuff; it's about giving. Or it's about spending time with family and friends. Or that you can't steal Christmas just by stealing gifts, like the Grinch tried to do.

Hey, I love these Christmas specials just as much as anybody. But none of them gives us the true meaning of Christmas, except perhaps for Charlie Brown.

The true meaning of Christmas is this: God became a man and lived among us in the person of Jesus. Jesus' sole purpose was to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins, so that whoever chooses to acknowledge their sinfulness, put their trust in Jesus and ask him to forgive them for their sins would be reconciled to God and would have eternal life.

It may sound trite, but it's true - Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Merry Christmas!

One Day Sale 12/18/09!

I'm having a ONE DAY SALE today! 25% off everything in my shop, and if your order totals $100 or more, then 30% off for you!

The prices showing in my shop are the original prices; the difference will be refunded to your PayPal account after purchase.

Click here to go directly to the Sale!

No more consignment at Salon = New listings on Etsy

I am no longer selling any of my jewelry in the local salon due to a disagreement with the salon owner about the quality of some of the merchandise she is selling there. Her loss is your gain!

I've listed most of what I had there on Etsy and will list a few more pieces tomorrow. So check out the new stuff in my shop! I've got some really cool pieces for sale!

Half A Heart Earrings

Mystic Topaz & Sterling Silver Chain Dangle Earrings

Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings with Sterling Silver Beads & Freshwater Pearls

Sterling Silver Open Hoops with Crystal Accent

Red Crystal and Sterling Silver Diamond Dangle Earrings

Hematite Bracelet

Tiger Eye & Copper Bracelet

Rhyolite and crystal Earrings

I hope you like them!

One of my Pet Peeves

One of my pet peeves is all the inserts I find stuck into magazines. Drives me absolutely nuts. As a matter of fact, as soon as I receive a magazine in the mail the first thing I do is remove all the inserts and toss them into the garbage.





But if I found this insert, well, I might just have to hang onto it.





from www.icanhascheezburger.com

My Little Lamb

Last night was the night for our church's annual Christmas program. My son, Evan, played the "little lamb." What a cutiepie! He was absolutely adorable!








He'll die of embarassment from this in a few years! I'm thinking this is a great shot for his senior year "baby photo!"

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch

These don't look like much, but wow do they taste incredible! These crunchies are always very popular, and they are soooooooo easy to make!

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch

8 - 2 ounce squares Almond Bark (or White Chocolate bark)
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups salted dry roasted peanuts
2 cups marshmallows

Gently melt almond bark in the microwave or on stove top until melted but not very hot (If it's too hot, the marshmallows will melt). Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper and allow to cool until firm. Makes about 4 dozen.

Spicy Chunky Cheesy Dip

Sorry for the long break in between blog posts. Life got complicated for a while! Anyhow, here's a yummy appetizer that is always a crowd pleaser!

Spicy Chunky Cheesy Dip

16 oz Velveeta
16 oz Mexican Velveeta
1 pound ground beef, browned
1 pound hot breakfast sausage, crumbled and browned
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, undrained

Melt the Velveeta in microwave or on stovetop. Pour into crock pot or a saucepan over low heat. Add ground beef, sausage, and Ro-Tel. Mix well and keep warm. Serve with tortilla chips.


You can adjust the spiciness to your liking by using mild or hot Velveeta and mild or hot Ro-Tel tomatoes.

Enjoy!