My Hubby Has An Addiction!!

. . . . . .to candles that is!!

Whenever we go to a prim shop, he's always heading over to the candle section and picking them up to smell.  (Yes, ladies, he likes going with me to shop for prims and antiques!)  We almost always come home with a new candle or two!!  And because of his addiction, I have an overabundance of them, which led to the dilemma of running out of space to put all of them!  (You can only burn so many and they last for quite a while!)  Here is a picture of SOME of them!  I had already thrown out a few, plus boxed up some that I plan to sell in a garage sale this spring.  I got rid of quite a few more after I took this photo.

I had them stored in the bottom of a cupboard in my Living Room, but it got to the point where I just couldn't fit any more in.  It was so bad that I feared opening the door. . . . afraid that they would all come tumbling out on me!  So what does a person do to solve the problem?  Build a bigger cupboard, of course!  Although, holding a firm grip on my hubby in the store would help, too!  lol

Here is a sneak peak of the new cupboard we made. 

See. . . . plenty of room!  Shhh!!  Don't tell my hubby, though. . . . he'll want to go out and buy more!!  lol

And here is a peek at the top. . . . .

I'm share more photos later.  I still have some tweaking to do and I'm waiting for something that I won on ebay that I'm SO excited about!  I can't wait to share it with you!  And you will never believe the deal I got!!!   ♪ ♫ You'll just have to wait and see. . . . .!!  ♪ ♫

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Each year our local chapter of the Red Cross holds an event called, "For The Love of Chocolate".  It's held the first Saturday in February and attracts vendors of all venues....independent/store bakeries, politicians, small businesses, charity organizations, restaurants, ....you name it, they're there!  And they all bring one thing in common......CHOCOLATE!!  You can't go wrong there!!  You purchase tickets for either $7.00 for 5 treats or $12.00 for 10.  Of course, you have to make the rounds to see who has the best samples, first, before you decide which goody is worthy of a punch on your ticket!  Hubby goes to whoever has the largest piece!  lol  (After looking at this photo, it looks like I hit the same ones!)

Hee are a few of the goodies that we brought home (minus a couple that we indulged in while there!)

It really is a fun outing.  They hold raffles and various drawings, have a game area called "Candyland" set up for the kids to enjoy, and sell other food items such as pizza and hotdogs for those who don't want to overindulge in so much chocolate.  (Never heard of such a thing, myself! lol)  You can enjoy eating your treats as you walk around visiting the vendors, or you can sit and socialize at one of the many tables and chairs set up or just take your goodies home with you.  Whatever you choose, it's all for a good cause!  We look forward to it every year! 



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Until Next Time . . . . Kris

Easy Peasy - A Project and A Recipe

Here's a real simple Valentine's project that is so easy to make.  All you need is a chenille stick, craft glue, instant coffee granules, ground cinnamon and/or cloves, jute twine or string and embellishments such as sweet annie and rose hips.

First, bend the chenille stick into a circle and twist the ends together tightly.

To form the top of the heart, bend the chenille where the ends are twisted together.

Finally, pinch the bottom of the chenille stick to form the bottom point.  Gently shape as desired.

Thin some craft glue with a little water.  Add a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee granules and stir until dissolved.  With your fingers, apply the glue mixture to the heart; coating evenly.  Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and/or cloves.  Let dry completely.  I unfolded a paper clip and hung it on a clothes hanger which I had hanging from a kitchen cupboard knob.  Tie on a piece of jute twine or string for a hanger and then embellish by gluing on sweet annie and rosehips or however desired.

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We have celebrated two of my kids' birthdays this past month and will have one more to celebrate on Gound Hog's Day this Thursday.  They usually pick their favorite dessert for me to make on their special day.  This year there was a new request for Snicker Bar pie.  I found this recipe on Food.com and it is heavenly!!  The recipe calls for it to be made the night before and you definitely need to follow that rule.  I made mine the morning of my daughter's birthday and, even though it was good, you definitely noticed a difference in the texture when we had a piece the next night.  It was a lot creamier and the candy bar pieces kind of softened and almost melted into the pie.

This isn't a very good picture of the pie!  I didn't think to take a picture until we were down to the last piece!  lol 

Easy Snickers Bar Pie

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. peanut butter

3 regular-sized Snickers candy bars, chopped

16 oz. Cool Whip, thawed

1 chocolate cookie pie crust

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter until creamy.  Stir in chopped candy bars.  Gently fold in Cool Whip just until mixed.  Pour into pie crust and refrigerate overnight.

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Until Next Time. . . . Kris

A Cute Idea and Some Great Finds!

I thought I would share with you a cute idea for a snowman.  I came across him as I was going through my tote of winter decor.  I don't put him out anymore because he doesn't quite fit in with the style of decor that I like.  I bought him several years ago when my sister and I used to do craft shows.

Isn't he cute?  He's made out of a pot/pan lid and the handle is used for his nose!  I thought it was a pretty clever idea!  If you don't have any lids that you can spare, you can find all sorts of them at dollar/thrift stores.  He also looks cute tucked in a wreath!

I also want to share a few pictures of  some goodies that I found at a couple of my favorite antique malls in Berlin and Walnut Creek  (aka Amish country) yesterday.  I can't believe the fantastic prices that I bought them for!  I was so excited!!

I found this fabulous box at Walnut Creek Antique Mall  (behind Rebecca's Bistro) for only $32.00!!!  I saw two, similar in size, at a local antique shop....one was selling for $170.00 and the other one for $250.00!  So I'm thinking I got a great bargain!  (Don't tell me if I didn't!  LOL)

 I  found these at Berlin Village Antique Mall.  The 2 gallon jug had a price of $45.00 and the small crock was $24.00.  When I went to check out, the girl said that they were 30% off!!  So I got the jug for $31.50 and the crock for $16.80!!  Woo Hoo!!!!

I have no idea where I'm going to put these things, but I'm sure I'll find a place somewhere and will share pics when I do!!  lol 

 My hubby and I have been working on a couple of projects that I will share with you later.  One is done (just trying to get a decent photo)  and the other will, hopefully, get started soon!  The second project is going to be made out of walnut and we had to go to a lumber mill and have the wood planed and cut to the widths and lengths that we need.  After about a week and a half wait, we finally got to pick it up on Monday....just in time for my hubby to have to go to work to pour some concrete for a couple of his contractors!  So when he gets those wrapped up, we'll be able to start on it!    

I'll be back soon with a simple Valentines project and a recipe for an awesome pie that is so simple to make!

Until Next Time. . . . Kris