busy little bee

so here's what i've been up to for the last few days...

winter garland

christmas garland

snowman ornaments

and my favorite...i saw this wreath @ pottery barn for $79 bucks!  (they can keep it with a price tag like

that)

...so i made my own for about $7...

do you like?!  it could be yours!  i'm going to do my very first giveaway next week!!  keep your eyes peeled, i'll let you know when you can have a chance at this baby!

chocolate chubbies

the holiday baking season is swiftly approaching.  this recipe will definetly be added on to my list of must bake cookies!!  how can you resist a name like "chocolate chubbies"?!?!  if you love brownies, chocolate and nuts--this is the recipe for you!  here we go...

Chocolate Chubbies

6 (1-ounce) semisweet chocolate squares, chopped

2 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped

1/3 cup butter

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels(i used milk choc)

2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

 

Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook, stirring often, over low heat until chocolate melts.(i used a double boiler, but i'm sure this would also work in the microwave) Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Beat eggs and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add chocolate mixture, beating well.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in chocolate morsels, pecans, and walnuts.

Drop batter by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake at 325° for 12 to 15 minutes or until done. Cool cookies on baking sheet 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool.

how fun will these be for christmas?!  they look like little lumps of coal!  make no mistake about it though...you'll definetly make the NICE list if you bake these up for someone you love!!

proud(and teary-eyed) mama!

this is what came home with emily yesterday!

i'm dying!  my baby actually WALKED!  she didn't just accidentally take a step...she didn't stumble and fall...she WALKED!

for the record, yesterday would have been my grandma's birthday.  i believe that she was helping emily from up above.  guiding her and holding her hand for each step that she took. 

its been a long, hard 3 1/2 years of unanswered questions, what-ifs, and wondering if it will ever happen.  yesterday that all faded away.

so proud.

ATWT

this my my grandpa with david last year. he was a very rough, gruff guy while i was growing up...not alot of hugs if ya know what i mean. so i was glad i snapped this shot of him "bird watching" with david. grandpa really does have a softer side.

theta mom thursday

so i had the ultimate time out last week! over 24 hours of ME TIME! that's right, you heard me...24 freakin hours! emily didn't have school thurs and fri due to the teacher's convention. it was amazing...i didn't even have to ask anyone if they wanted to take a child! i would have settled for just one going on a sleepover...but two?! yes, please...thank you! david left for his fun time early in the afternoon. i should tell you that the time emily and david spent together was awful :o( she had a mega meltdown...it sucked! (which made me want to get them the hell out of the house like, immediately!)once david was gone, i packed emily up and took her down to my parents' house. then, it was party time!! i went to walmart, all by my lonesome...it was fabulous...i don't even remember what i bought, but i felt like i was walking on air! on the drive home, i actually got to listen to music with a beat! i turned up the volume, and bopped my head around like an idiot--celebrating my freedom. i got home, cooked hubby and i dinner...and actually got to watch the 5 o'clock news!! the sprout channel was banned until friday evening!! hubby and i should have been swinging from the rafters naked, however, after a nice make out session, we peacefully fell asleep. heaven. it was the most beautiful thing to be able to sleep in. no worries, no making breakfast, no waiting for the bus. awesome. i met my sissy at her place and we hit the dollar store. i think you could literally see the twinkle in my eyes all day. then the kids came home. *poof* the bliss was over. ok, ok, i missed them--no, really--i did!! i ultimately paid the price for said bliss, because both kids were soooo cranky all weekend!! but i'd do it again, damn it!

self doubt sucks

its kicking in big time too! things that i want to make for my etsy shop are just not turning out how i want them too...and its bumming me out pretty bad. there are one or two more things that i'd like to make before i open...i just need to get the materials this week...oh...then figure out how i'm packaging it all! the only things that i'm in love with are my stars...


i want to keep them for myself! lol

this wreath was somewhat of a disappointment...i love it for my house...but in good conscious, i can not sell it. i have not yet perfected the loop for hanging...balls keep popping off--even though i glued them together. my biggest fear is that it would get to the buyer and the balls would be rolling around the box! ugh. so i think i'll just be keeping this for myself.


i know that my ribbon garland will be fine...i just have to get the supplies. here is the one i made a couple of years ago



so yeah. hopefully i'll pull myself together, and get it all done. i think fear is setting in!

need to get my craft on

i've seriously got to get some crafting done if i have any hopes of opening my shop by thanksgiving weekend! i'm hoping that my darling child will cooperate today! haha---yeah, right! he's getting a big fat tooth, so he's been a big grump for the last few days. OH, and i caught him playing in his poopy diaper-again! ack! this is worse than when he was making himself barf while he was supposed to be napping! who knew boys could be this much fun?! :o/

back to the shop...still haven't decided on a name...any suggestions would be awesome!
i've got alot of ideas up in my head for things i'd like to sell, but i don't want to go nuts on purchasing supplies if i'm not able to sell anything! that would suck! what do you think of these ideas:
ornament wreaths(as i get these things made, i'll post pics for some feedback)
ribbon garlands
wire star ornaments
bird nest kits(scraps of yarn and fabric for birdies to make a pretty home!!)
and maybe some embroidered holiday dish clothes

here's what the wire star ornaments look like so far(they'll be getting a bath in silver glitter and a bow)

i made these last year for all of emily's therapists...they were a big hit.
so that's all i have so far...like i said, i need to get my hiney in gear!



lastly...i got my desk cleaned off yesterday!

ok, so maybe everything isn't exactly where it belongs...but its all contained in one neat box until i get another minute to sort it all! keep in mind, i was doing this while david was on the chair(with wheels) trying to play with the mouse. lets just say there were a couple of close calls! speaking of houdini--err, david, he just whipped out a crayon from no where and decided to have that for breakfast instead...ugh!