It's been a while

So I took a little break, as I was trying to get into a routine of being alone with my three year old son, and my now almost two month old daughter. I hope you all will forgive me! So let's catch up my friends! The past few weeks I have been cleaning constantly, as any mother knows, it's a constant. Christmas shopping. And a lot of it. Okay, I will dish more on my post after Christmas about my fantastic buys. (trust me, you will LOVE the POST CHRISTMAS one, so please stay tuned) What is everyone doing for gifts? Any good homemade ones?

My gifts for my friends are all homemade. A smore's kit, Mexican hot chocolate, and cookies! I hope they all enjoy it! I still need to finish my Christmas Cards! that just reminded me! However I did make Rudolph's with the kids :)

Also, what kind of Christmas would it be with out the cookies? I've been making all sorts of cookies. So far I've got sugar cookies, oatmeal cranberry chocolate cookies, Hawaiian wedding cakes, eggnog tea cookies, double chocolate coconut cookies, and crispy chocolate chip cookies!


 I've been digging through my family recipes and figuring out what I am going to contribute to the Christmas dinner my friend and I are making. So far, I am bringing turkey, green bean casserole, stuffing, bacon wrapped dates stuffed with chevre, carrot souffle, cranberry sauce, cream puff tree! What a grand dinner we will have! 
As I was digging for my recipes, I found a couple pie recipes, I thought I would share for any of you making pies for Christmas!              

                                        
    
A sweeter Pie crust for Two double crust pies, or four single crust pies

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups shortening
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup water
• 
  
• Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, shortening, sugar, and salt. Blend together with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
2. In a small bowl, mix egg with water. Blend into flour mixture. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

For a basic Pie crust for one double crust pie or two single crusts

2 Cups of flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cups shortening

1/3 cup ice water

mix flour and salt together, cut in shortening, sprinkle water and blend with hands till dough forms. use as needed

For Cherry Pie

2 cups cherries *take out the seeds!

1 Cup of juice

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1 Cup of sugar

2 Tablesppons cornstarch

butter

put cherries in crust, mix all other ingredients, except butter, together. Pour over the cherries. dot with butter. Put top crust on, make slits in top. Bake  at 450 for 10 minutes, then at 350 for 30 minutes. When it comes out, brush top with melted butter! 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Pie

pre baked pie shell

3 Tablespoons butter

1/4 Cup conrstarch

3/4 Cup sugar

2Tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Cups

2 egg yolks

Mix egg yolks and sugar. melt butter in saucepan. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter in saucpan. Slowly add milk, and cook till boiling. Add the eggs, cook slightly, add vanilla. pour into baked pie shell and chill.

Apple Pie

2/3  Cup of sugar

Dash Salt

1/2 teaspoon

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

2 teaspoons lemon juice

6 cups peeled thinly sliced cooking apples

2 tablespoons butter

Mix sugar with salt, cinnamon, flour, lemon rind and juice and combine with apples. Line 9 inch piepan with pie crust and fill with apple mixture. Dot with butter. Top with crust and crimp edges. Brush top with milk. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then at 375 45 minutes, or until apples are tender. sprinkle with sugar after baking if desired.

There you go, hope you all enjoy!

Another day exploring

Well, my son is out to a movie with his 'Meme', so I thought I would post a blog and get on with the day.

 I made three paintings this morning. They are in black and white. Not bad for not painting in over a year!
These were all inspired by Bromeliad: My DIY: Dollar Store Abstract Expressionism - DIY style, frugal home design, budget travel

Next, to reclaim so older paintings and make them look better. Then to start my homemade Christmas cards and and tags! I opened a shop on Etsy last night, under the name lilmamacoy. I'll be posting stuff in there soon. I'll have cookies, candies, cards, scrap booking pages, etc. If I start to do well, I may start listing some decoupage art, blankets and other homemade items. Let me know what you guys think when I start posting stuff, or if you have any ideas or tips for things yourself, let me know! All of you military SAHMs know what I mean when I say, I love my children, I love my husband, but I need to feel like I am contributing with more, and also doing things that I love!
Anyhow, my Etsy store is going to be only what I have made, and a limited number. If you want it, you have to buy it when it's in stalk. I don't want to stress myself by constantly doing what people want, so I'm just going to do me, and by my own schedule :)
Today, I've also got to get my husband's x-mas list sent out for people who want to send him something. Although it's rather easy, it's been a task I've been putting off. Same with packages.. I hate going to the post office with kids, but also, it's been over a year since I've sent a care package, I've honestly forgotten what forms I need. So I've traded with one of my good friends, I'll baby sit for her, if she'll make sure I have coffee when she drops her daughter off, and if she will mail my packages. God bless her! She said 'deal'. Now I don't have to worry about it anymore! PHEW! Well, before my break with only a newborn to care for, is over, I'm going to try and get some things done...

List for the day:

Paintings
Make cards and tags
list items on etsy
hang up cool coat rack from Pier One (scored yesterday on sale for 6.88)

Try on new dress from Kohl's (scored yesterday too for only 14.40) It is going to look great with some black panty hose, and my black boots, and pea coat! So excited to wear when it gets a little bit cooler!

Clean my room (if only I got allowance for doing so)
Search online for a dresser for the kids room
Start working on my decoupage project
Figure out what's for dinner tonight
Put away dishes
OH! before I forget again, something that should be at the top of the list HUSBAND's XMAS LIST!

Hope everyone has a great day, and I'm sure I'll be making some more short posts today!

This is super neat!

Ok, so it's holiday season! I'm super excited. I didn't get to participate in holiday things when I was younger, like the rest of the kids did, so of course, I overly do it now! I saw this post and thought it was awesome, so I thought I'd share. I will be doing daily posts still, but I'm also going to start throwing in things that make me want to take action, make want to do more. I hope to inspire the rest of you as well.
Grinch Advent Calendar

wonderfully busy day..

Today my head has been filled with thoughts of creativity. I'm still buzzing from my readings into other people's blogs! Oh my goodness, how do these people come up with this stuff? Really? I wish that I could come up with this stuff! Maybe someday... Anyhow... I am super inspired to make my own home decor, because my house is in DESPERATE need of decor! I love people ideas for decorations! it's truly incredible to me. So my ideas as of now are a mirror collage on the wall, maybe a sunburst type of mirror, my own paintings, curtains, pillows, sanding and painting my living room furniture, re-doing my lamps, using scrap paper to do a wall mosaic, and then to figure out what to do with the glass in the table tops.... my back door i would LOVE to do the fake stained glass sheets... Oh i also forgot the hanging baskets for my bathroom!

Wow, see, this is what has been filling my head....

That and the cookies and candies to make for my husband's Christmas care packages... I'm thinking fudge, and pumpkin seed brittle... Cookies like snicker-doodles, macaroons, s'mores... any ideas anyone? Please let me know!

That also goes for home decor stuff too!

So I'm also considering making decoupage art. I had a dream about making this amazing lips decoupage art... Oh the ideas!

If you have any cool ideas for decor, or any recipes that you'd like to share, let me know!

I'm off of here for now, goodnight world!