cookies!

Here are some cookies I made at our recent Christmas Ladies Fellowship party.  I’m a cookie-decorating rookie, but I enjoyed it! 

I made one with everyone’s initial on it (J, M, S), but they got consumed before I was able to take this photo.  Cheers!

some advent cheer!

I have been making up Advent activities the night before and really flying by the seat of my pants!  Last year I was quite organized about it with presents and little crafts all planned out… not this year!  On the 1st we made this little Christmas craft kit my mom had sent a while ago… worked great!

  

The 2nd we made cookies which I needed to make for a party anyway.  Today we are going to play with our indoor/outdoor tents and tunnels, which has been hidden in the garage for  a couple months now, so should be very exciting!  I stumbled upon this just now and thought I would share for those of you who may be winging it as you go too!  It’s a printable Advent calendar as well as a list of fun activities to do everyday… thank you very much, skip to my lou!  

Happy Advent!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving Eve.  Here are a couple shots of what ours looks like over here…

hmm…

Anywho, I thought I would post a recipe of this corn pudding, or corn spoon bread (whichever name you prefer!) because it is a dish that I added to our Thanksgiving tradition purely because I like it, it’s kinda southern, and my family’s feast never featured this wonderful, and overlooked dish!  So in case you needed one more delicious side, this one is quick and easy!

Corn Spoon Bread 

3 c. whole milk

2 c. fresh corn (or 10 oz. frozen)

3/4 c. cornmeal

2 T. unsalted butter

1 T. fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

In large saucepan, over medium heat, bring 2 cups of milk and the corn to a boil.  In a small bowl, whisk the remaining milk and cornmeal.  Slowly add to the boiling milk.  Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool a smidge (so you don’t go and cook the eggs you’re about to add!).  Stir in the butter, thyme, s & p, and beaten eggs.  Transfer to buttered casserole dish.  Bake 30 minutes @ 350ºF.  Make sure the middle is set and tooth pick comes out clean.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Do you have your Advent calendar yet??

I made mine last year, you might remember since it was only a couple posts ago… haha.  I stumbled upon this one and had to share.  You could probably make it yourself with a picture you enjoy…cut into a stencil (maybe use some freezer paper?) and use fabric paint to apply it… sew a couple straight lines and you are definitely on your way!  Numbers might make it trickier – you’re on your own there.  :)

It was a fun Halloween!

We brought home this sweet little thing….

“Lily of the Field” is what we named her… calling her Lily for short, of course.

Then we decked out as the Super Hicks Brothers and went to the Fall Carnival….

so cute they nabbed the 2nd place award for group costumes and won 2 huge chocolate bars!  :)  

They were really proud.

Then just after Halloween ended, a new little nephew arrived, Hudson Carroll Wood was born to my beautiful sister-in-law and I can’t wait to meet him!!  :)

The new addition…

We went to meet the puppy we will bring home at the end of the month today!

Meet Orange, an adorable 6 week old Vizsla poochie….

Don’t worry, her name is just Orange because that’s her collar color.  Name is yet to be decided!  Isn’t she so stinkin’ cute?!

score!

I completely forgot to mention that I found the sofa that caused my heart to skip!  And, apparently the noise I make when my heart skips a beat is frightening… my husband almost had an accident as we drove by the Salvation Army window.  

  

None-the-less, I got the sweet couch with a matching chair for an amazing price!  Sure the fabric is CRAZY! but I bought it for the frame and it is in excellent shape!  Now I need to figure out what fabric to recover it with.  I am still painting the room it is in, so the color scheme hasn’t hit me yet.  Again… more on that to come!  

the new abode

We bought this 109 year-old beauty this summer….

 

my super-talented mom and her handy hub came up from the hot El Paso desert to make this…

look like this…

Thanks Mom & Ro!!

The rest of the house is still in-process of getting settled, but basically we just plan on painting and working on the landscaping this year.  I hope to dabble in gardening next spring/summer too, so more on that to come!

Berry Cobbler

I got this recipe from my friend Rachel to make for her cousin’s rehearsal dinner.  Turns out I love the recipe and have made it almost weekly since then.  Thought I would share it!  Enjoy!

Berry Cobbler

1/2 c. room temperature butter

1 c. sugar

2 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

3-4 c. mixed berries (I use frozen that I let thaw out a bit, but fresh would be amazing!)

1/2 c. raw sugar 

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. When it is nice and light, begin adding the flour mixture, alternating it with the milk. Pour into greased 9×13 baking dish, then pour the berries all over the top.  They might sink in spots and that is fine, do not stir it.  Sprinkle the raw sugar all over the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the “biscuit” portion is set and top is slightly golden.  

Serve with homemade vanilla ice cream and your family or guests will surely love you for life!

Lust

So… I don’t think of myself as someone who will ever have a super-modern home… but this picture made my heart skip a beat… and I’m sure it was the couch’s fault.  And yes, this decor would be “super-modern” in my opinion, but I think I love it.  Here’s the link to the whole design sponge article.

Next mission:  Get this couch!