Happy Halloween!

Hope you all have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

The Bragging Mommy - Tiny Prints Giveaway

The Bragging Mommy is hosting a Tiny Prints Giveaway and let me tell you - you want to join in. I promise! If you have never visited Tiny Prints, stop what you are doing and head over there. Well, if you have some time to spend there. They have the-most-adorable cards and stationary there! What a great resource for custom party invitations and holiday cards. You will love everything - I do! Anyhow - The Bragging Mommy is giving away a $50 Gift Card to Tiny Prints, and wouldn't that be nice - to be able to pick out, customize and order your Christmas cards, from your couch and all for FREE! Does it get any better than that?? Have fun browsing!

Eco-Babyz Kids Konserve Giveaway!

Eco-Babyz is hosting a Kids Konserve giveaway for a set of green or a set of orange Food Kozies (your choice of color). They are a great recycled, FDA approved, non-toxic, non-leaching, recyclable PE plastic. They contain no Bisphenol-A or Phthalates - in other words, a healthier and safer (for you, your kids and your environment) alternative to ziplocs.

Here they are in green.

Now, let me be honest - I am a self proclaimed ziploc addict, but I tell you what - these things are so cute that I'm probably changing my ways! :) Go on over and join in!

The Longest Post. Ever.

Sorry I have been MIA lately. In the last couple of weeks I have found out that people actually do read this, so I feel a little guilty about not posting something. Kind of. Anyway, I have been feeling like I am drowning lately. There just always seems to be so much stuff going on and I can’t ever get caught up. For the first time, since I’ve known Darren he has mentioned (on more than one occasion) “you seem really worn out Morgan”. Let me tell you folks – its cause I am! There has been so much going on and I feel like I have nothing to write/update about so this post is going to be really random. Then again, most of them are, aren’t they? Anyhow, little sister’s wedding went great. It was absolutely beautiful and she was gorgeous and for once, I actually got to enjoy it instead of working the entire time. I made the groom’s cake and although it is absolutely nothing like she asked for (it was rainy and humid the day I made it and I had major icing issues), she liked it. Everyone seemed to like it, and it was delicious so what more can you ask for, right?

It was two layers of chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream between the layers and covering the cake. Then I made a chocolate ganache to cover the top of the cake and drizzle down the sides. The top was covered with regular, white chocolate and milk chocolate covered strawberries and plain strawberries lined the sides.

Little Bride & Groom strawberries.

Coco was back in diapers for awhile but I am VERY happy to announce that she is now out of them again. Needless to say, we will be making a trip to SNAP to get that taken care of. There will not be a next time. We have taken the little rugrat to the vet a couple of times and it turns out that she had a bacterial infection in one of her ears so after antibiotics and ear drops, twice a day, for two weeks - she is all better. She wants me to let all of you know that she really misses the turkey hot dogs her mom and dad used to hide her medicine in and she is feeling awfully mistreated without them. The Halloween dog cookies her mom bought her almost make up for them.

But not quite.

We are hoping to take her to the Howl-O-Ween Event at Bridgeland in Cypress this weekend. One of my dear friends is the recreation director there, and so we would love to go support her and take Coco trick-or-treating. They will also have a costume contest, and parade, grooming, and doggie concessions. We are still undecided as to what Coco will be but it should be fun nonetheless! In other Coco news - she is such a quick learner! Darren and I practiced walking on a leash with her, one time around the house and she wasn't thrilled, but she did it. He put her harness and leash on (she HATES her leash on her collar, she just completely freaks out), and I walked in front of them backwards with treaties saying "Come on Coco" "Good Girl" and handing them to her every few steps.

My babies! Aren't they cute?

Then, shortly after that Darren took her to the vet because one of her ears was bothering her and she walked in and out of the store on her leash, like she had been doing it forever. Two weeks later, when they went back to the vet for her check up - same thing. She walked perfectly and she walked around Petsmart with him, and she was so good.

She is a genius, that's all there is to it. Darren and I traveled to Center a couple of weekend's ago to attend his 10 year High School Reunion. It was funny to see the mix of people and it was nice for Darren to see some old faces and me to get to meet some new ones. Of course, its always funny to hear about how much everyone is the same/different from what they were in high school. Darren seems to think that everyone is pretty much the same except most of the girl's butts have gotten bigger. He's a charmer ladies, I tell you! I have had a few Pampered Chef parties in the last few weeks and I signed two recruits, so business is going well. I have exceeded all of my goals for the past three months and October and November are looking promising as well. I need more parties for December so if anyone is interested, please let me know! Any orders (invididual or party) that are placed by December 15th at midnight, will arrive on or before December 22nd - just in time for Christmas!! We have been working off and on (mostly off) on our kitchen cabinets and we FINALLY got them completely stained. We have the trim and the new window seal to stain and put up and the new hardware to put on and we will be completely done! Hallelujah! I never thought we would get here. It has been a lot of hard work and sweat and we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let me tell you one thing, we are not completely done yet and I can tell you this - I would not go back and change a thing. It has definitely been worth it. The improvement it has made is priceless. The kitchen already looks so much better than what it did! Of course, I don't have any pictures, but I will take some to post soon. And let me remind you that soon is a relative term. In other kitchen on-goings are refrigerator was on the fritz. I say "was" because its not our refrigerator anymore! Can I get an Amen? We have a brand-new-to-us, hand me down 26 cubic feet, stainless steel side-by-side that is perfect. Want to know why? Because it works! I'm not an appliance snob. I don't have to have new, state of the art, glistening appliances to make me feel whole. I need something that keeps my stuff cold, or gets it hot, or washes it - whatever it is meant to do. A few months ago. Ok, that's not entirely correct - let me start over. Almost a year ago, we started having issues with our refrigerator. It started draining water into the fridge. No big deal - mop it up, clean everything off and we were good to go. For awhile. Then, we repeated the process. A few times. Then it started getting more and more frequent. Then the crisper bins started filling up with water and it looked like our vegetables were dive toys instead of something you make dinner with. It got to where I was dumping the bins once a week. Then, the fridge started leaking water all over the kitchen floor. It just kept getting "better and better". And I know you are asking why I didn't have someone come out to look at it and the first reason is because I'm cheap and unless we physically cannot fix it ourselves - we absolutely do not call anyone! And two, because I didn't want to "fix it", I really wanted to get a new one with an ice maker. Or a newsed one, with an ice maker - whatever I could find. When I was telling Pops about all of this, he said "if y'all want it - we have a fridge in my shop that needs one part fixed, and then it will be fine, and its under warranty and the man has already been paid for it so he just has to come back". I said, oh no, we can get one. And he said "I'm serious - we have a house fridge and a fridge in the shop, so that one is just in the way, so y'all are more than welcome to it, if you want it". So, Pops called the man out and he came and saudered something that needed saudering and then it was like new. Except it had been in his shop for almost a year, so it was pretty dirty. But all the guys loaded it up and away we went. We got home and unloaded it and although I wanted to clean it and change everything over that night - it was really late and I was tired. So, my mom started washing it down the next day when she came over to see Coco (that girl isn't spoiled at all, is she), and I finished when I got home. Then I bleached everything. Then I wiped it down with clorox wipes and I tell y'all what - it looks brand new! We put everything in the new fridge and wound up losing a lot more than we had hoped for (because of the water damage), but we have a fridge that works and we are back in business! I have two things to say - 1) Thanks to my mom for letting us have that fridge years ago and that we were able to use until we killed it and thanks to Pops for another fridge that we are surely going to use until we kill. 2) I don't like stainless steel appliances. I know all of you are freaking out right now, but I have only one thing to say...fingerprints. I don't have a picture of the fridge - I will get on that "soon"! We also bought a new vanity and sink for the half bath. One day "soon", we are going to rip out the one that is in there and replace it. I am hoping to do some painting in there as well. I have curtains that I want to make for the entry way, as well as painting. Curtains to hang in the living room, finishing the mirror I started, and cleaning out the closet from hell. Our to-do list keeps getting longer, but such is life, I suppose. That pretty much sums up our life these days. Hope all is well in yours!

Cookbook Giveaway!

Want a chance to win a cookbook?

This cookbook:

Visit Shelbelle's Tiki Hut and tell her that I sent you! Leave your name and e-mail and she will enter you in a chance to win it. After all, who couldn't use another cookbook? Have a great day!

I'm Back!

Ok, sorry for the absence. My life is crazy right now. Well, honestly - my life is always crazy, but the last couple of weeks have been insane. My sister is getting married this weekend so I've been busy helping with the wedding stuff and I have the groom's cake to make (wish me luck) and all the bread to bake for communion, and I'm finishing up/closing out the SIX Pampered Chef Shows I have had in the last 3 weeks. Not to mention my full time job. Oh, and because I don't have enough on my plate - I started Weight Watchers (again). It has been years since I have done it I should have my butt kicked for quitting, but all of that is in the past and I'm on track and I'm going to stay that way! Hopefully! I started off on the right foot - I lost 8.2 pounds my first week. I go back tomorrow, so wish me luck!! A dear college friend and fellow Weight Watcher sent me a wonderful e-mail full of 266 recipes that you can make in your crock pot! How awesome? I had to try one out tonight, and it was delicious! I had to share it will all of you:

Hearty Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 1 1/2 cups potatoes -- diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 11.5 oz. can V-8® vegetable juice
• 1 can corn -- whole kernal
• 1 can green beans -- cut
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme -- dried
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground beef, extra lean
• 1 teaspoon garlic -- minced

Directions:

1. Mix beef and garlic.
2. Make 1/2" meat balls & brown.
3. Place meatballs and all other ingredients in crockpot and set on low for 8-10 hours.

This soup is only 3 Weight Watchers points per cup!

The only thing that I changed was the fact that I didn't brown the meatballs before I put them in with the other ingredients. I mean - why go through all that. They are in the pot for 10 hours - they will be done by the time you are ready for dinner!

Enjoy!