Christmas Feathers and fun

We had a great Christmas....Loved visiting with family and friends.....Here are a few pictures from around our hosue!!! 

Christmas Facts about me...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Love to wrap…usually use brown packing paper and fun bows


2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial and a real on my front porch

3. When do you put up the tree? Late this year…Usually Black Friday

4. When do you take the tree down? ASAP – it depresses me for it to stay up

5. Do you like eggnog? Boiled Custard love it…

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie dream house!

7. Hardest person to buy for? Craig most of the time

8. Easiest person to buy for? My sister usually

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail - United States Post Office, but I’m behind this year

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don’t remember, but the worst Valentines gift was a gold stretchy band watch that my grandmother wouldn’t have used

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story! Craig got me hooked, and Home Alone!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Early…July or August

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so … but I can’t promise

15. Favorite special thing to eat during the holidays? Homemade …nuts&bolts aka chex mix

16. Lights on the tree? Yes…Clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? Santa Baby! Rockin around the Christmas tree!and Feliz Navidad cracks me up….there are more

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Both

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? No…most of them…let me google it

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? No. some feathers and such

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Eve with the in-laws the rest on Christmas morning/day!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Traffic, people acting wacko everywhere you go

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have some mirrors on one tree that I really like and some big snowflakes on a fun tree that are kinda cool

24. Favorite foods for Christmas dinner? Ham! Cream corn! Sweet potatoe casserole on and on I could go!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? For everyone to be happy and good sports and fun to be around!!!!Yeah! Life’s too short! Enjoy what God has given us! A Gov’t that is mindful of God and makes wise decisions for our entire country!

26. Favorite Christmas Activity? Wrapping..decorating…cooking…shopping…Christmas caroling…Visiting with family

The Case of "SpIRit FiNGeRs" GO UT

My Mother-in-Law and I spent her Birthday at the UT vs. Kentucky Football game !!!  So much Fun!  Vols Won!! Even Better!  and the Pride of Southland band put on an awesome performance! 

Big Fan and Big Band and Big Birthday...
Stella

October Fest

Hello All! I love fall!!! As you can tell I have had a little fun spreading fall cheer around the house. For our 5th anniversay, WHOOOHooo!!!, We spent the weekend on the Delta Queen in Chattanooga. A mighty interesting weekend I would have to say....Our state cabins featured twin beds. The 5th year traditional gift is wood. My duke of a husband purchsed the side piece and I love it...

I am anxiously awaiting trick-or-treaters and got a little carried away with pansies and mums. Man yard work is exhausting.

For my 28th Birthday celebrated this month we went to Patti's at Kentucky Lake. http://www.pattis-settlement.com/ So much fun and so nice. Very much a resort area.

OK I vow to make regular posts. My sister-n-law encouraged me to watch "Julie and Julia" SO GOOD!!!! So I am a little pumped at the present...

Recipe Suggestion:

FALL APPLE DIP
1 8oz cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
I also added a little powered sugar and cool whip until I got the consistency I preferred, but not necessary.

New post coming soon....

I have got to get back on the wagon...I promise I'll get some new pictures and post up very soon.


-Stella

The case of a new job

Hi All!!!

I started a new job today at First Citizens National Bank, local in Dyersburg, but they have a new location in Franklin, TN for my Nashville friends. I had a great day. I started along with four others, and we will have about a months worth of training so I'll let you know as it goes along.

Over the weekend I did a little more gardening. Man that is hard work. Dividing monkey grass is the for the "Birds" of "MONKEYS!"

Bunco is tomorrow night at my house. So I'll have a few pictures for you soon.

Have a good week.

-Stella

Mothers Day continued...

We had a great Mothers Day weekend. Saturday my mother's church hosted there first Ladies Day! It was a huge success!!! Sunday we had a combined family mothers day celebration at our hosue. My family and Craig's family celebrate Mothers Day with a potluck picnic!! It was a smash. Everyone had a fun time visit and fishing and eating. Thanks to all for bringing a dish!!!

The case of a Strawberry Mother's Day

Here are a few pictures of us attending the West TENNESSEE Strawberry Festival!!! My Mother-in-Law and niece came along, as well as, a Friend and her child and friend. The Strawberry Festival is a huge deal!!! It was my mother-in-law and niece's first time to go. It was sooo hot, but a great time was had by all and I think we'll be up for it again next year. To get in the spirit I made strawberry freezer jam earlier in the week for the first time. It was super easy and fun, and
Craig and I can't wait to give it a try.

The case of a "Kickin' Kentucky Derby Party"

The rain that showered the South on Saturday "Didn't rain on our parade" for our Kentucky Derby Party. Although, we did have to go to a "B" plan.

Here are a few pictures and hopefully I'll post some more from Craig's Camera.

Our party was also complete with a red carpet runner welcoming guests on our sidewalk leading to the front door that was adorned with a fresh flower wreath of greenary and fern.

Everyone approved of our Kentucky inspired menu of:

Roasted Turkey served on a roll with "Henry Bain Sauce"
Potato Salad
Deviled Eggs
Hot Ham and Biscuits
Ambrosia fruit Salad

Dessert was Thoroughbred Pie with homemade whipping cream - Which is amazing!!

and guests had an assortment of Beverages to choose from:
Mock Mint Julips
Sweet Tea
Pink Lemonaide

We had so much fun, we think this will be a new family tradition.

The case of a late Mardi Gras

Well...As some of my friends are aware I'm not the best techinal person. So anyways I wanted to add a post last week about Mardi Gras, as Tuesday the 16th, was fat Tuesday and ended the Mardi Gras celebration. Anyways, I've had some camera calamities, but I'm working around that. Anyways most celebrate throughout the month and I'm happy to say that goodhousekeeping.com didn't make any Mardi Gras posts until later in the week. To add a little cajun flare to my menu last week, I fixed a Cajun Jambalaya with cajun sausage with fried okra and bread. Very, very
easy.

The Case of the "Perfect Brownie"

So the "as seen on T.V." Perfect Brownies really work. Here are a couple of pictures provided by a girlfriend who baked me some for Valentines! Thanks Andrea

The case of "Cherry Frosting".....

Ok, so I thought the cherry frosting would a simple task, but leave it up to me to make something that should be easy…hard.

In my married hometown of Dyersburg, TN we have a Christian rehabilitation facility for women called, Transitions. This is a wonderful place for women to go who need help getting their lives back on track with God and with society. This is run solely by donations. Amazing! Anyways, Tomorrow wi11 be there annual bake goods auction, which will raise several thousand dollars. My neighbor, a wonderful lady, is in charge of fundraising so I offered to make a cake. Usually an easy task for me. I had big plans.

I wanted to use a new chocolate cake recipe with cherry frosting. Well I didn’t start this endeavor until after church last night. So at 8:30 last night, my ambition began to wane as a long, hard day began to settle in. So as I went to Kroger and invited a few short cuts. One was the Pillsbury cake mix on sale for $0.99, devils food, by the way. Next I made the mistake of going without an ingredients list for my frosting. All I could remember was sour cream, so I thought well there has to be more to so I’ll get some cream cheese and make due with what I have. Yes I had to make due of course. I ended up mixing two different buttercream icing recipes and coming up with the “masterpiece” above. I’ll admit I’m ashamed to carry this to the bake sale, so I added a little decoration to the cake plate for “viewing
pleasure.”