Chubby Hubby

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I know we did! If you haven't had enough sweets yet, here is another one that is A-to the-W-to the-E...awesome! Although, if you are like us and have tons upon tons of cookies, candy, and cakes in the house, you can hang onto this recipe for another time.

I am currently munching on dried mangoes to try and offset all these sweets I've consumed recently. Didn't the doctors tell you that fruit totally cancels all that stuff out?! No? Mine either...total bummer. In my mind, it makes me feel better :)

Ok my peeps...here we go!

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I made some 'chubby hubby' truffles a few weeks back, a delicious spin on a peanut butter ball.

I am a lover of all things chocolate and peanut butter. If you are too, you are gonna love these!

{Warning: Side effects include (but are not limited too) a chubby hubby, a chubby wifey, and chubby kiddos. Consider yourself warned.} 

Chubby Hubby Truffles

{Photo and recipe credit--Brown Eyed Baker}

 Makes: about 18 truffles

1½ cups pretzel pieces

½ cup creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Pinch salt

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

1. Put the pretzel pieces into a resealable plastic bag and crush into very small bits (a rolling pin works great for this).

2. In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir until all of the ingredients are completely blended and smooth. Add the pretzel bits to the peanut butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the powdered sugar and mix until completely combined.

3. Line a small baking sheet with wax paper. Using a small cookie scoop, or about 2 teaspoons worth of peanut butter mixture, gently shape into a ball with your fingertips. Place the ball on the wax paper-lined cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining peanut butter mixture. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

4. When ready to dip the truffles, microwave the chocolate chips and vegetable shortening together in a small bowl at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.

5. Working one at a time, dip one peanut butter-pretzel ball into the melted chocolate and use a fork to roll it around, ensuring that it is completely coated with chocolate. Let any extra chocolate drip off and place back on the wax paper-lined sheet. Repeat with all of the peanut butter-pretzel balls.

6. Return the baking sheet to the refrigerator and again chill for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with a drizzle of melted peanut butter and crushed pretzels, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

5 days left...and a birthday

Yep, you read it right...only 5 DAYS LEFT until Christmas!! Busy, busy, busy...

--We received about a full foot of snow in the past couple of days!--

--Wrapping presents all pretty and festive--

{Speaking of presents...Thank you Cabela's for keeping Josh's Christmas gift a complete secret... Can you make it more obvious?! At least he knows he is getting what he asked for! haha}

Oh, and I made some sugar cookies with Superman today.

I can't end this post without giving a 'shoutout' to my favorite sister-in-law!

{Also, my only sister-in-law, but that's besides the point.}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ!!!

We are so, very thankful that God put you into our lives!

Have you seen this?

I couldn't have said it better, Mike.



Christmas Party

My family had our Christmas party on Saturday night!

We all had so much fun with games such as....

{Throwing marshmallows into a bucket}

{Trying to get a pom pom attach to your vaseline covered nose}

{Transfer M&M's to another plate with only a straw, then make a smiley face}

{Get the cookie from your forehead to your mouth, without using your hands}

{Stack the metal nuts with a wooden dowel}

{Unwrap presents with snow gloves}

It was so nice to sing and play Christmas hymns, praising our Saviour for sending His Son so many years ago...

We also set up a photo booth...and maybe had a little too much fun with it! :)

8 Days until Christmas!!

So tell me... {Granny B.-- Part 2}

If you missed part 1 here is the link! >>> So tell me... {Granny B.-- Part 1}

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9. What were you doing in your life at my age (21)?

I got married at age 21!

10. How did you meet Grandpa?

I was with my sister and her husband. We passed by his dad's house, when e stopped he come out to the car. Love at first sight. 6 weeks later we were married!!

11. How did Grandpa propose?

He sure didn't get down on on knee. He just said we were getting married!

12. What are some hardships you have faced in your life?

Well there are many. There was a time when all we had to eat was pancakes and apple sauce. Another time when I come home from the Hospital with a new baby and the power man came to turn off our electric. Talked him out of it till we could get some money. When I was pregnant with Sharon {my mom} we went all summer without electric. No Fridge!!!!

13. How old were you when your first child was born?

I was 22 yrs old when I had my first child.

14. Do you have any special memories of when your kids where little?

With 7 kids there is lots of special memories. They played really well together!!

15. What was mom like growing up?

She was a very mellow person. Listened to orders most of the time. When she was little she would come up to us if we were sitting down and throw her leg over ours and stand there on one leg. We ask her what she would do when she went to school cause she couldn't throw her leg on her Teacher :-)

16. Any recipe or food that is your speciality to make?

Biscuits and gravy/chocolate gravy. Pinto Beans and corn bread!!!!

17. Do you have any advice to give to my generation?

Yes I sure do. The most important thing is to know Jesus as your personal Saviour. Serve Him no matter what the cost may be. Dig down deep and get your feet planted upon the Solid Rock, which is Christ Jesus. The Author and Finisher of our FAITH!!!

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I can certainly agree with her biscuits and gravy {AND chocolate gravy} speciality. Whenever the family gets together we always make that for a big breakfast! We have all grown up on it and LOVE it!

Thank you Granny for answering all these questions! It's been so fun to read all the answers!

Nutcracker



This was my first time going to see 'The Nutcracker' and it was so much fun! I have never heard the story of the Nutcracker, so it was really interesting to read about it and see it acted out! Loved the whole thing, totally up my alley....

Our Pastor's wife came with us and joined in on the fun!

Beautiful Theatre

'Intermission'

Since we don't get to the 'big city' too often, we managed to get reservations for a late-night dinner at my favorite restaurant before heading home

'The Great Wall of Chocolate'....mmm hmm...delicious!



Fails

I was going through the pictures on my phone today and found several funny 'FAILS' such as....

It's never a good idea to chop up chocolate on a hot-out-of-the-dishwasher cutting board.

This was suppose to be a microwave chocolate mug cake....that decided it wanted to be a volcano instead.

Found Julian like this a couple weeks ago.....caught him red handed! Little stinker must have been trying to climb up the baby gate and it fell on him! Actually, at first all he was doing was lying there, not sure what do. Funny boy

Stitches last December...definite f.a.i.l.

Have you ever wondered what would happen when you leave a crayon in the hot sun? Well, wonder no longer.

'Open other end'...whoops! Now, you can't tell me you've never done it! :)

Femininity: A lost art

God has been bringing my attention to this topic recently.

Femininity, where has it gone?

Many women {myself included, at times} grumble about how the men in our lives need to be more like gentlemen. Yet, we fail to examine our own lives. Are we being the feminine women God created us to be?

I am guilty of not allowing the men in my life to be gentlemen. For example:

--Has a man ever offered to open the door for you?

--Has a man ever offered to carry something heavy for you?

--Has a man ever offered to let you go ahead of him in line?

--Has a man ever offered to assist you with some kind of project you are working on?

Did you allow him to be a gentleman and do those things for you, or {like me at times} say, "No, thanks."

With the way our world has gone, we are taught {by the world, I might add} that women can do things themselves. We don't need men to depend on. So, just a simple thing like a man offering to carry a heavy box for you, when we deny his kind offer it's like saying, "No, I don't need you, I can do it myself." Wasn't he just trying to be a gentleman? Yet, we didn't allow them to be.

If we deny their help and insist we can do everything by ourselves, no wonder chivalry is uncommon. What is the point of men to keep offering if we keep denying?

We don't need to be as rough and tough as men. We were not created to be as rough and tough as men. I realize that we all have different personalities and not everyone is the 'curls and makeup' kind of women. Yet, we can still be feminine and let the men in our lives be gentlemen, the way God created us to be.

Like I said in the beginning, this is a topic God has brought to my attention. I just want to encourage women to make that conscious effort to allow the men in our lives to be gentlemen, thus producing a more lady-like manner. We might be surprised at how gentlemanly the men in our lives are!

Awkward & Awesome Friday

--Awkward--

--I decided to be bold this week and try something new. I got side-bangs. Yes, yes, all those rumors you have heard are true, they were cut slightly too short. When they were cut and my jaw literally dropped when I saw myself in the mirror. I guess that is what I get for trying something new. Yay me. Although, I have been reassured by those around me they aren't bad and thankfully its not the whole part of the bangs that was cut too short. One section just needs to grow about a finger width, hopefully that section grows fast. I really don't want to be the dorky one in the family Christmas picture this year, even though I am pretty sure I fill that role every year. I might even transition into full-on bangs, *gasp*, I look very, very different. You've been warned. {Actually, Mom and I were at the store today and she said she almost didn't recognize me, and that's just with the side bangs.}

I think that probably tops any other awkward moments for the week. Rambling over, moving on.....

--Awesome--

--The Christmas Cantata for church is coming along, still needs work, but it's going to be great!

--Christmas decorations, music, and movies are now being enjoyed in our household

--Day off today

--We are going to see the 'Nutcracker' next weekend. 'uber excited!
--Unexpected phone call from a cousin/friend

I shall leave you with this.....

The kids are loving this app on my phone, they can insert their little heads and dance along with 'The Wiggles'. They pretty much think it's the best thing since goldfish was invented.

So tell me....{Granny B.-- Part 1}

My Granny {Mom's mom} is about as southern as a 'southern Granny' gets! Granny spent many of her years in Arkansas and she has the accent to go along with it. :) She makes a mean biscuits and gravy {chocolate gravy too!!} and has that classic southern hospitality. I love her to pieces and am so thankful for her sweet, loving spirit.

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1. Where were you born?

I was born at Murray Arkansas/Shiloh. In a two room Log cabin my daddy built on his Homestead :-)

2. What did you and your siblings do for fun?

We made our own fun. Climbing trees, ball games, lots of outside games, running base, stink base, antaover, etc...

3. What did your parents do for a living?

My parents did many things for a living. They had a farm we grew most of our food. When we needed cash dad {and sometimes Mom} would take a crosscut saw and they would cut a load of stave Bolts or Hickory splits. Then, they would get someone to haul it off for him. We started going to Missouri to pick cotton in the fall. Sometimes we would go and pick strawberries! Times were hard, but we were happy!!!!

4. What was your mother like?

Mom was a very easy going person. As we grew up I never heard her say she loved any of us, but we knew she did. She tanned our hide when we needed it with a little, keen switch. It really did sting :-) Mom worked hard in the fields and inside. She canned everything she could get her hands on, so we would have food to eat through the winter!!!!

5. Did your family have any special traditions around the holidays?

We had a great Christmas. We always got candy, an apple, and an orange in our sock! Which was GREAT :-)

6. What's your legal name?

Vera is my legal name, but my Mom named me Pearlie Mae. Penny (midwife) sent it in {on the birth certificate} as Vera Mae. We didn't know until Daddy went into the navy when I was 10 years old. So everyone kept using the same name they used all my life!

7. When did you got your first job? Where was it at?

Working in a mail order house at National Belahess in Kansas city, Missouri. I worked all my life when I was big enough to hoe corn or pull weeds.

8. When did you accept Christ?

I got saved at age 29. The happiest day of my life. Wish I had done it a lot sooner. I haven't regretted it a day!!!
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Isn't it funny that when my granny was a little girl, an apple and orange in her Christmas stocking were something SO special! It definitely shows how blessed we are today!

Part 2 coming soon!



Maybe it's just us

It's funny how many pictures we have to take, just to get ONE good one! This family has a hard time keeping a 'normal happy face' when its picture time. :)

Finally!

Best.Thanksgiving.Game.Ever

I don't know about the rest of you, but we had a great Thanksgiving! {The only thing missing was my brother and his wife...*sad face*}

Kali saw a game online this week that claimed to be 'The Best Thanksgiving Game'. After reading what it was all about we decided to give it a try this Thanksgiving!

Here is where we got the idea >>>> The Best Thanksgiving Game

Basically, you divide up into two teams and the 'host' reads off 'The Tallest', so from your team you pick who you think would fit that description the best. The 'host' then announces that the chosen ones are competing to see who has 'The Tallest...THUMB'! It's a great ice-breaker game and gets everyone laughing! {BTW, this doesn't have to be a game just for Thanksgiving, it would be great for a dinner party too!}

Here are some of my favorites from yesterday....

The Tallest....THUMB!

The Longest.....STARE IN A STARING CONTEST!

The Farthest.....MAKE A PAPER AIRPLANE AND SEE WHO'S FLIES THE FARTHEST!

The Longest.....WHO CAN BALANCE ON ONE FOOT THE LONGEST!

The Quickest.....TO BALANCE 5 DICE ON THE END OF A TONGUE DEPRESSOR HELD IN YOUR MOUTH!

We also played a 'Minute to Win It' game, where you try and stack a bunch of cups in less than a minute...with ONE hand! {We put the time limit down to 45 seconds because 1 minute was actually too much time!}

{If you must know, yes, my arms can be invisible and go through walls.}