All is Well

You know how sometimes you have that feeling that all's right with the world and there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? That's how I felt today! I didn't expect to; it was just was of those rare days that actually gets better and better instead of worse for once! And nothing huge or glamorous happened. Just sweet daily life! Daniel ended up taking the day off instead of working like he had planned. He suggested waffles for breakfast, which carb-loving me jumped right on! I threw chopped pecans in mine. Sublime! Then we all pittered around the house, just relishing togetherness. I hadn't properly "sorted" (as the Brits would say) my kitchen all week, so I washed up non-dishwasherable dishes for a good while. Danielle took an amazing 2.5 hour nap! After our lunch of Kraft shell macaroni and cheese and leftover brown sugar spiral sliced ham with horseradish, we cleaned up out in the yard and Daniel cranked up the lawnmower for the first time this year! Danielle was delighted to help mow the dog pen. At one point, she really pushed on the right lever and they leaped out of a straight stripe! Then she and I chillaxed on the front porch watching Daddy mow; she in her Little Tikes swing and I perching on the Pelican cooler I had just cleaned up from last week's oysters. We ate Mayfield Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream and soaked up the sun. The weather just kept getting better all day too. I had been pining for fresh pine straw in all the beds, so once Daniel was finished with the yard, he and Danielle drove the white truck back around behind the house and I raked up a large haystack of the free much-needed mulch. I distributed it around the front porch while Taby stomped happily after her daddy pruning trees. She LOVES being outside. And as I watched her toddling around, I couldn't help thinking, "Is this really my beautiful life? It's just too perfect...I'm beyond blessed." (disclaimer - I have MANY moments when life seems quite real and I have no problem believing that it IS my life lol.) Anyway, snap back to reality. Our yard, beds, and porch now look loved and cared for at last. They really look good if I may say so myself! Especially the porch with its new pale blue $5 metal table from Family Dollar! Danielle had wilted after her afternoon of adventures, so I put her down for a late nap. Then I sat on our front porch like a true Southerner and watched the sun go down as I ate a Cutie, drank water, and read in Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. Love that book. Levon Kimmons had come over, so Danl was out shooting the breeze with him. Supper was Zatarain's Cilantro Lime Rice, Walmart shrimp grilled on skewers, cheese green beans, and Reese Pieces store-bought cookie dough cookies barely baked, then frozen. Outlandishly delicious! And now day is done, gone the sun. All is well. Amen.

Sharnjean's Seasonal Shortlist!

I'm funny about feelings. 

Ever the analyst, I'm constantly scrutinizing as to whether or not I'm "feeling" the right feelings for the occasion. Like Christmas, for instance! When I was a teacher, festive fol de rols filled the air everywhere with the program, and parties, and presents, and caroling, and one couldn't help but have a magical mood! (Most of the time!) But now at the beginning of this holiday time, I realized that I would have to make the magic happen mostly on my own! If I didn't consciously Christmasize, I would be Grinching about quite grimly. Elaborate amounts of time or money to promote the proper perception were not an option, so I came up with this simple 6 item shortlist to add seasonal spirit to each and every day! 

I'm loving the word "shortlist" ever since adding a gift to my Google shopping shortlist. Especially the playful part defined as "winnowed from a longer list of possibilities."  Awww...the whimsical wistfulness of  unending possibilities!

short list

or shortlist

• Examples
• Word Origin

noun

1.

a list of those people or items preferred or most likely to be chosen, as winnowed from a longer list of possibilities.

1. SPRINKLES. 

Add holiday sprinkles to EVERYTHING! Blop Coolwhip on coffee, add some tiny sugar holly sprigs & berries, and you instantly feel like singing "Joy to the World!"

(Be like me and buy up on Christmas sprinkles after the 25th when everything is 75% off!)

2. SING CHRISTMAS CAROLS INSTEAD OF LULLABIES.

Instead of crooning "Mama's Gonna Give You a Mockinbird" while rocking Danielle, I've switched to "Silent Night," and I feel just a tiny bit like Mary must have felt...the awe of my own tiny (aka huge) baby. And then the feelings of thankfulness that I can lay her down to sleep in a soft crib instead of in a scratchy manger of hay.

3. CHANGE YOUR PHONE WALLPAPER & LOCKSCREEN.

I have these on mine and every time I see them they give me a glow.

4. GIVE SOME MONEY TO EVERY SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGER YOU SEE.

There's just something so simple and satisfying about walking up to the red bucket, plunking in some pennies (or bills), and giving the ragged ringer a hearty hail of "Merry Christmas!"

5. SEIZE THE SCENT.

Make your house smell Christmasy! I put cinnamon oil in my Scentsy burner, and have also been burning fir branch candles.

6. REMEMBER THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

Even though I wish to make cute crafts, sew festive frocks, and bake bunches of baked goods, none of these things are truly the backbone of this bustling time 'o year. If I can lower my expectations, and just make sure there's room for Him in my inn,

 it will be the merriest Christmas ever!

WALMART PICKUP CHANGES LIVES!!!

I had intended many mental blog posts ago, to next write about the stuff I scored at Aunt Donna's garage sale. And maybe I will yet, but right now I am bubbling over to blog about WALMART PICKUP! My life will never be the same. I had been wanting to try it out ever since receiving a $10 off code in the mail. Alisha had also been expounding on the joys of grocery pickup, saying how awesome it was saving time and money since it curbs impulse buying! Two things I never seem to have enough of: TIME and MONEY. I'm so going to do this! So Tuesday night I loaded my virtual buggy, selected a 4-5 pm time slot, redeemed my $10 off, checked out, and went to bed. Rhonda and I plodded about Pensacola during the only monsoon in months (#thankfulforrainboots) and arrived at Walmart a few minutes after 5. A Walmart Grocery employee had already called to let me know that my order was ready! I checked in on the Walmart Grocery app en route and whipped into an empty Pickup parking space, feeling so sad for my sister as she had intended to bask in this luxury as well, but had suffered the misfortune of checking out at 10:11 am instead of 9:59 am. This caused her time slot to expire, because the same-day cutoff is 10:00 am SHARP. This was a painful lesson to learn. Rhonda bustled in to handpick her own items, while Danielle slept peacefully on in her car seat. Almost immediately, a chipper Pickup employee came wheeling my parcels out to meet me. I agreed to the one substitution she had made, (Full-size Viva paper towels instead of "choose-a-size") scrawled my e-signature, and gleefully accepted the new-customer goody bag which contained a bottle of water, Quaker oatmeal thingy, small bag of BBQ chips, Tide sample, 3 oz bottle of Vaseline lotion, and a shampoo and conditioner sample!  I asked Kassie if she likes doing this grocery pickup thing, and she replied that she loves it! I had read in the FAQs that they aren't allowed to accept tips, so I did what I could for her and gave her a 5 star rating on my follow-up email. She said she'll get to get a little something in the store if she gets a top score! My bag of frozen raspberries had not thawed, the avocado she picked out was beautiful and unbruised, and the fresh strawberries looked super! For the first time ever, going to Walmart was the highlight of my day! Well, the second highlight; the first one was hearing that Danielle no longer has ear infection! Yay! At least she won't be in misery from her ears while she simultaneously cuts 5 teeth! 

Back to the Walmart Pickup thing, you all really should try it out!!! And since I desperately love to make piles of money without working very hard, I'd really appreciate it if you'd sign up under me by using this link.  http://r.wmt.co/eGUUk You'll get a $10 off code and I will too! So hurry and sign up today! The first 10 of you will get the blessing of helping me along on my pathway to riches! :) (Only 10 referrals allowed per calendar year) 

Taking Time to Think

Saturday was the annual Fish Fry at the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department. So enjoyable, as always. Miss Smith and I got our usual to-go boxes of a fillet of fried fish, fillet of grilled fish, and a piece of chicken! No decision this way, just the chance to enjoy it all! I did feel rather complicated when the cashier asked, "For our records, are you getting fish or chicken?" "Well....both!" "OK, for here or to go?" "Well...I'm getting a to-go box so I can take home any leftovers, but I'll be eating here!" Keeping it simple has never been my talent. Maybe that's why she gave us all non-winning tickets! Oh well, I'd rather win nothing than some junk or clutter that I don't need! (Wow! Did I really just type that?! Maybe I am slowly becoming FlyWashed...but the bags of loot I scored at Aunt Donna's family garage sale wouldn't prove that...I could do a whole post on my treasures!) Anyway, after a Walmart grocery run for Miss Smith, I dropped Danielle off at Aunt Rhonda's and donned my camo and grabbed my bow before meeting Daniel to get my hunting instructions. I had forgotten to bring the bag that contained the artificial scent killer, so we crushed some cedar (leaves?? they don't seem leafy...maybe I should say sprigs??) and rubbed them in my hair and on the back of my neck. Major ITCH. Then I climbed the ladder and sat happily nature-watching while basking in the bliss of having time to just THINK. I can honestly say I have never been bored a minute in my life. It feels sorta Dr. Suessy, but oh, the thinks you can think! I love to have the chance to just think and think....I thought about past memories good and not so good, projects I want to do.... projects I will skip this year (sadly I shelf the adorable pumpkin family I had visually created) I mentally clean-swept our home of current clutter and relished its "new" look, I thought about God and His plans for me, I thought about how fast our little baby is growing up... that the days with her being this needy and clingy seem long, but that the years are short, and I need to consciously enjoy her tugging at my skirt and live in this moment...that this will be the only Fall that she is 7 months old! And that it doesn't matter how much my friends with babies can accomplish, I shouldn't compare and complain, because I am doing the very best I can.

Then I thought I heard a deer approach...crunch...step...crunch...step....BE STILL, my beating heart! THUD, THUD, POUND, POUND....slowly I turned my head to view with disdain, not a deer, but a fat o'possum! So I watched him creep around nibbling on my deer's corn while the squirrels fought like two-year olds, the birds chirped, the leaves fell, and the stars came out. Then I wrapped it up by thinking that even though I am still a bow-huntress with no bragging rights, it had been a most successful THINK. From now on instead of going hunting, I'm gonna go thinking! I know I'll always be successful at that! We even heard in church Sunday morning that taking time to think is a key to success, spiritually and financially! So really, going thinking should become a priority! If I ever do happen to snag a deer, it'll be a bonus!  

Outside my window....Tonight.

Outside my window....the darkness of night enshrouds the earth. 

I am thinking....that I should soon go to bed, but I love being awake when everyone else is sleeping!

I am thankful...that our new "Speed Queen" washing machine has been ordered via amazon.com! Hauling loads of laundry wherever I go is getting old! Thanks, my family, for letting me use your machines!

In the kitchen...  the dishes haven't done themselves! They are resting on their laurels amidst grease splatters from buttermilk breaded fried venison and loaded baked potato fries! (potatoes are vegetables, right?!)

I am wearing... lime green sparkly, sequined slippers!

I am creating...a new blog post at last! 

I am going...to take Miss Smith and Nana with us to the Firehouse Fish Fry tomorrow! 

I am reading.... Bringing Up Bebe AGAIN because surely if I reread it enough times I will figure out how to best mother Danielle! Our bitty bebe is beyond baffling to me at times! She went on a milk strike the other day for reasons unknown!? Thankfully her drinking problem seems to be resolved!

I am hoping...to get Danielle's birth story completed before she turns one! I've written as far as my first post-birth meal now!

I am looking forward to...finding out if you like the new "SUBSCRIBE" feature I added to this blog! Check it out! Also, you no longer need an invitation to view. Just type in carrottopcakes86.blogspot.com and you'll be there!

I am learning...that there's nothing better than witnessing the mutual love and complete adoration of a daddy and his little girl! She was so pleased to ride in the skid steer with Daniel today for a bit when he was working at Shane and Mel's shouse!

Around the house....things are looking like Hurricane Danielle hit! Hopefully FEMA (Female Emergency Mother Agent) will respond before midnight. 

One of my favorite things.... is breakfast from McDonald's! But stick with Starbuck's for a good pumpkin spice latte! My McCafe version this morning was WAY TOO SWEET! I'm not lovin' it.

Menus on Monday

'Tis Monday, and I haven't posted this week's menus! Forgive me for being such a foodie, and only blogging about food lately! Just hit delete when you see the word "menu" in the subject line if reading about food doesn't make your heart leap! (As if you need my permission to do this, but anyway!) We loved the French Dip sandwiches last week, but my choice of venison roast wasn't a good one. Too dry! A nice chuck roast marbled with fat 'twould be much better! I never made the apple salad...still want to! Made funfetti cookies instead of chocolate chip; life is always better with LOTS of sprinkles! I made them when Katie and I took snack to school last Thursday, and Ryan sarcastically said that I would probably blog the recipe so I dare not disappoint him! 

SOFTBATCH FUNFETTI SUGAR COOKIES

Move over cake mix. These easy, super soft cookies are from scratch and loaded with sprinkles. They're super soft and tender, with just hints of chewiness, and are my new favorite sugar cookies. They're pillowy soft without turning cakey or crunchy, thanks to a bit of cornstarch. It's my secret weapon for making softbatch-style cookies. The extracts used give the cookies a cake batter-like taste, while the abundance of sprinkles baked in adds texture and flavor to the rich, buttery dough. They're fast, easy, and the recipe makes a small batch size. Feel free to double it. Chilling the dough is imperative before baking and don't be tempted to overbake.

YIELD: 15 medium cookies

 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

 

COOK TIME: 8 minutes

 

TOTAL TIME: 2+ hours, for dough chilling

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract (real vanilla extract may be substituted)
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons corn starch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste (sharon here - I use 1/2 tsp.)
3/4 cup sprinkles (jimmies) (sharon - almost too many! Gasp! 1/2 cup would be better! Buy at Dollar Tree - bright, pretty, and peanut-free for $1!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, egg, extract, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes). Do not shortcut the creaming process; make sure dough is very light in color and fluff, stop to scrape down the sides of the mixer as necessary.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Add the sprinkles and beat momentarily to incorporate, less than 1 minute, or fold in by hand.
4. Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two tablespoon mounds (I made 15). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
5. Preheat oven to 350F, line two baking sheets with Silpats, or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for 8 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. These cookies should not turn golden or brown at all and should stay white. Do not bake longer than 9 minutes for soft cookies because they firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
6. Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Adapted from Chewy Sugar Sprinkles Cookies and Sugar Doodle Vanilla Cookies

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

OK, here goes for this week! Believe it or not, we actually had some meals made with leftovers! Yay!

-SATURDAY LUNCH-

(We were so blessed to have Wayne, Tif, and Bailee join us!!!)

Chicken Wings

Baked Cheesy Potatoes

Lettuce Salad

Birthday Cake Cookies

Blue Ribbon Chocolate/Vanilla Ice Cream with homemade Magic Shell

-SATURDAY SUPPER-

Philly Cheese-steak Sandwiches

(Danl created these using leftover London Broil. I told him I thought it was the best sammich I had ever eaten!!!) 

(Leftover!) Potato Salad

-SUNDAY LUNCH-

(Leftover!) Fajitas

-SUNDAY SNACK-

Jalapeno Poppers

(Leftover!) Philly Cheese-steaks

Sprinklelific Cookies (only I devoured them, Danl abstained effortlessly!)

-MONDAY-

Grilled Hamsteaks with THEE best grilling sauce! (Pine Mountain $1/# at Piggly this week!)

(Bring to boil - 1/2 cup brown sugar, rounding 2 T. horseradish, 2 T. lemon juice. Baste liberally on ham before and during grilling.)

(Leftover!) Cheesy Potatoes

Canned Asparagus

-NO TACOS TUESDAY-

Pizza Hut! Our usual - CHEESE with Extra CHEESE! 

(I know I have to go to Atmore for various errands anyway...)

Apple Salad

Tossed Salad

-WEDNESDAY-

Shrimp & Grits

Orange Creamsicle Jello

Pan-fried Okra

-THURSDAY-

Hopefully we will attend Atmore's "Taste of the South!"

I absolutely ADORE this happy community event! You pay $10 for 5 "tastes" and get to walk around sampling the local restaurants', church groups', etc best menu items!

-FISH FRIDAY-

Fried Bream

French Fries

Green Beans

-FRESH FRUIT OF THE WEEK-

California Valencia Oranges

-DESSERT OF THE WEEK-

Pudding! 

(Vanilla! Chocolate! Coconut! because I have to make the white layers for Bill's upcoming birthday cake and I will have egg yolks running out of my ears!)

Goodnight, y'all! I should be "pudding'' myself to bed!

More Menus!

First off, a little run-down of last week's food! 

We loved the ice cream cake!!! 

Tuesday's Crock-pot chili for the Navajo Tacos was mushy-textured. Bleck!!! :( 

Thursday's meal of Crock-pot Country-style Ribs just did not sound good to either Danl or I! So I created a pizza that I dubbed "Veni-cheese-steak Pizza Supreme!" I used the mock Pizza Hut crust recipe from Peters' Cookbook and layered it with pre-cooked venison steak strips, caramelized onions, green peppers, and mushrooms, mild cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, and topped it with fresh spinach leaves! We loved it! I never got the deviled eggs made on Friday, so I planned them into this week since I still "have a taste" for them! 

-SATURDAY LUNCH-

Grilled Bacon Cheeseburgers

Great Northern Baked Beans 

(I used dry beans instead of canned ones just to be very virtuous! LOL not really! I just like to experiment in the kitchen! I loved cooking pintos from dry, but I was not totally happy with the results of these Great Northerns. So I need to tweek my method! I cooked a 1# bag with lots of water, a dollop of butter, and 1.5 tsp of salt on high in the Crock-pot for 5 hours and they were too done, sorta broken up. Then I added 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a lot of bacon grease and baked them an hour. Please give me some tips, any of you bean-bakers!)

Great Value Wavy Chips

Key Lime Pie in a Pan

Lemonade with Torani Fruit Syrups

We were so thrilled to have Andrew & Audrey and family join us for this lunch! Just like old times! :)

-SATURDAY SUPPER-

Pizza from the Hut! Danl's treat to me!! xoxo

(Be like us! Use coupon code 2226 - Carryout Exclusive Large 1-Topping for $5.99! Code good until 10/31/16- and order a large Thin 'n Crispy Light Sauce Cheese with Extra Cheese and an order of Stuffed Garlic Knots!)

-SUNDAY-

Ashton & Jessica's Wedding! 

Grilled Chicken Tenderloin with THEE best BBQ sauce made by Kelvin & Wendy! 

(I want to buy a jar! or hundred!)

Homemade Rolls

Salads of Your Choice 

(I think I tried 6 different kinds....all DELISH!)

Chips

Dessert??? 

(For some extremely odd reason, I somehow missed it?!)

-SUNDAY SUPPER-

Leftover Burgers

Jalepeno Poppers

-MONDAY-

Grilled Chicken Legs

Loaded Baked Potato Fries (Like you can get at Chili's)

Deviled Eggs

Apple Muffins

  (Aunt Rose's recipe in Schneider Cookbook)

-TACO TUESDAY-

Venison Fajitas

Sopa

Tortilla Chips & Salsa

-WEDNESDAY-

Italian-Fried Wild Turkey

Potato Salad

Cooked Spinach

-THURSDAY-

French Dip Sandwiches 

(Can't wait to try this, Pris! Thanks the idea/recipe!!)

Apple Salad 

(My recipe in Schneider...can you tell we didn't eat all the fresh apples I bought last week?!)

Broccoli

-FRIDAY-

Rhonda's Birthday Supper!

Tentative Menu: 

London Broil

Grilled Potatoes, Carrots, & Onions

Caesar Salad

Garlic Bread

Mint Chip Ice Cream Cake 

-FRESH FRUIT OF THE WEEK-

Green Seedless Grapes

Bananas

-DESSERT(S) OF THE WEEK-

Key Lime Pie in a Pan

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans