I've been a trainwreck in the kitchen lately, and my guys are probably ready to hang a Help Wanted sign on the front door for a new cook.  I'll tell you that broiling instead of baking canned cinnamon rolls doesn't work very well.  Paying attention to that little bake/broil knob on the toaster oven really is important. 

Have you heard of the Crockpot Girls ?  They have become extremely popular overnight with hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook.  After looking at some of the recipes on their blog, I decided to dust off the old crockpot (and I do mean old.  Remember the ones with flowers all around them?  I don't even know where I got it from.) and give it a try again.  I succeeded in making some very dry and bland chicken, but I'm not going to give up!  I LOVE the idea of putting everything in the crockpot before work and having dinner ready when we return home.  If you have some tips or recipes to share with me in using the crockpot, I'd love to hear them.  In the meantime, I'm going to ask Santa for a new one.

After botching a couple of things in the kitchen, we were ready to have a meal that we really enjoy...gumbo.  I have seen my mother spend hours preparing her gumbo recipe, which is our very favorite, but there are some things I just won't attempt.  My gumbo comes from a mix called Zatarain's Gumbo Mix.   I can hear my Cajun relatives gasping all the way from Louisiana! 

I add six cups of water and the gumbo mix to a large pot, and bring ingredients to a boil.  After lowering the heat, I add some beef Eckrich sausage (that has been browned and drained) to the pot

along with a pound and half of peeled/deveined shrimp.  Follow the package directions for the length of cooking time needed, but you'll have a tasty pot of gumbo before you can say "Boudreaux".  One more thing...we like lots of rice in our gumbo, so I always make a pot to go with it.  The gumbo mix doesn't have enough in it for our liking.  This is the perfect warm meal for the cold evenings we've been having in North Texas. 

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Do you remember having to sit at the dreaded children's table at holiday time?  The adult table, where all the decorations and food sat, just seemed so much more appealing.  Well, how about spicing things up a bit for the kids by using this idea as a centerpiece?  Not only is it cute, but it would give them an activity to do, too.  The colorful leaf cutouts can be purchased from any teacher supply store.  Boys and girls could write what they are thankful for on the leaves before hanging them on the branches. 

Our awesome PTA recently held a teacher luncheon for us.  These pictures were taken of the centerpieces that were in the middle of our tables.  Love it! 

Niki, the mom in charge of decorations, simply used some containers she had on hand to hold the branches.   She then added pinecones and other fall decorations to complete the look. 



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Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  In club this month, we'll be making this little sign to remind you of how many shopping days you have left to purchase those perfect gifts for the people on your nice list. 

Here are the ingredients I used:
Designer Series Paper: Holly Berry Bouquet
Cardstock:  Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Whispering White
Ink:  Wild Wasabi and Real Red markers
Stamp Sets:  Heard from the Heart, Tags til Christmas
Embellishments:  Real Red satin ribbon, Wild Wasabi button
Tools:  scallop punch, scallop square die, Big Shot, crop-a-dile, magnet sheets, white chalk

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Need an idea for a hostess gift?  I saw this wine tag on Pink Buckaroo's Blog and thought it was so neat that I set about making one right away.  To make the tag, I cut a piece of  Pool Party cardstock to measure 8 1/2 x 3 inches.  I scored it at 2 3/4 inches.  Then, I simply decorated it with a stamp set called Gently Falling from Stampin Up.  I cut a circle at the top of the tag with a 1 3/8 inch punch and framed the circle with the scallop circle punch.  The pocket was made from the Petite Pocket die and Spice Cake designer series paper that was run through the Big Shot.  The inside tag measures 4 x 2 and was decorated with a small leaf stamp and thank you sentiment.  The pumpkin on the front of the pocket was made from an oval punch.  Twine and ribbon were also added.  So cute and easy!

My friend suggested that making a tag for bubble bath would be fun, too.  Good idea, Merry! 

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I was recently teaching in a second grade classroom and admired a painted pumpkin that sat on the teacher's desk.  A student named Lexi had given it to her.  Do you know that sweet girl went home and asked her mom to make one for me?  It totally made my day.  Now I have a beautiful painted pumpkin sitting on my desk, too.  Thank you, Lexi!! 



Lexi's mom, Lori, told me that to decorate the pumpkin, she painted the design with acrylic paint.  (Did you see those polka dots?  My fave!)  She then sprayed the pumpkin with a clear acrylic gloss coating.  Lori wrapped some of the ribbon (dampened) around dowel rods and dried them in a 300 degree oven.  The curly and straight ribbon was hot glued around the pumpkin stem.  Adorable!  I have to try making some of these.  Thanks again, Lexi and Lori!

Six Layer Magic Cookie Bars

You may already have this recipe or one similar to it.  Since I'm going to make a book from all the recipes that I have posted on my blog, and this cookie recipe is my mom and son's favorite...I definitely have to include it.  Making these Six Layer Magic Cookie Bars is quite simple.  Here are the ingredients:

 1 stick butter

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

1 c. coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put the stick of butter into a 9x13 inch pan and put it in the oven to melt the butter.  (or melt it in the microwave)  Add graham cracker crumbs to butter and mix pressing into pan to make a crust that covers the bottom of the pan.  Add the chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans in layers.  Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over all.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool and cut into squares.  This is a single recipe.  You might want to go ahead and make two pans while you're at it.  They are sure to be a favorite in your family, too.  

Have you been "Boo"ed yet?  Our neighborhood plays a fun game each year at Halloween where we sneakily leave treats on each others doorsteps to "boo" them.  They, in return, boo someone else until the whole neighborhood has gotten something sweet to eat.  We look forward to this exciting tradition each year.  You can find details here in case you'd like to get in on the fun!

These are some treats that I made for some special little friends in our neighborhood.  I covered a small composition notebook with Halloween paper, added ribbon, a pencil, and candy.  I hope they'll like them! 

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