My little doggie

This is Ruby! She is the sweetest thing, with loads of energy. Never a dull moment, she always wants to play. She brings a smile to my face! Love her

Awesome Tree

I took this photo in the Bahamas, it is probably the coolest tree I have ever seen. Reminds me of the movie Fern Gully, when the vines are growing around Hexus, the evil guy trying to cut down all the trees.  The winding branches are truly beautiful, thick in some parts and thin in others.  Blows my mind.  What do you think?

Nature Preserve

I have always had a thing for trees, the way they look, and sound when the wind blows.  I love spring, walking and biking through the forest. I feel at one with the universe when ever I am surrounded with nature.

 Hiking thought the woods, I came upon this tree and wondered how long it had been there. How many animals come to this stream for food, the mystery is the most compelling.

Puff Pastry with Sausage

  Great for when your having company over!

• All-purpose flour
• 1/2 of a 17.3-ounce packagePepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
• 6 oz. kielbasa, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 tbsp. orange marmalade or your favorite jam
• 1 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
• Chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.  Sprinkle the flour on the work surface.  Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 10x15-inch rectangle.  Cut the pastry sheet into 24 (2 1/2-inch) squares.  Press the pastry squares into 24 (1 3/4-inch) mini muffin-pan cups.
2. Stir the kielbasa, marmalade and mustard in a medium bowl.  Spoon about 1 tablespoon kielbasa mixture intoeach pastry cup.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Sprinkle the pastries with the parsley before serving

Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs Diy

Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Creamy Peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2-3 tablespoons milk
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon Shortening

Directions:

Mix together the powdered sugar, peanut butter, and butter. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time until it becomes a nice workable dough.  It will be just like play dough, it will be really easy to work with.  Form the dough into egg shapes, and place in the freezer for about an hour.

Place the chocolate chips and shortening in a glass measuring cup.  Microwave 1 minute at a time stirring in between until completely melted.  (You can also use a double boiler if you prefer, but I am lazy)

Dip each egg in the melted chocolate and place on waxed paper until set. (I use a skewer and then slide the dipped egg of and cover the hole)

Once they are set you can trim any excess chocolate off that may pool at the base with a pairing knife to make them look pretty.  You could also decorate them with royal icing and make a really special Easter treat.

These look soooooo GOOD!

Resale Shopping

I love to resale shop, you can find such great things for dirt cheap. I bought a nightstand for my room for 7$ and all I had to do was sand and paint it to  make it my own. I used rocks for handles by gorilla gluing the flat head of the screw to the rock. It took a few minutes to dry, if you have epoxy that would work as well.  The rocks add a unique feel to the nightstand and it only cost me around 15$ for the whole thing. I used rocks from my backyard! Great way to bring the outside in!  I got my paint from Home Depot in the Oops section, for only 2 dollars and it adds a perfect accent to my room. It may be slightly hard to see, I will add a better picture later.

Fruit Dream Bars

Painted Glass Vase

I had a plain glass vase laying around so I decided to spice it up a little and give it some paint!  I used tape to create the lines that go all the way around and used regular house paint(you can use craft paint as well) to create this simple vase that makes the table pop! 






















Fruit and Chocolate Dream Bars


For the Crust: 
 1 1/4 cup Flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 stick butter


Topping:
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
                                                                                    1/2 cup packed brown sugar
                                                                                     6 tablespoons butter
                                                                                    1/2 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
                                                                                     2 cups chocolate chips




Crust: Mix flour and sugar in medium bow. Cut in butter with knife, until it is crumbly but sticking together. Press into bottom of greased 8X11 pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.


Topping: Mix flour, pecans, brown sugar in same bowl.  Cut in butter with knife until its crumbly. 


Spread jam over hot crust. Sprinkle with pecan topping and chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees  for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 dozen


These treats were quite delicious, if I do say so myself! You can use what ever jam you please! I also added more pecans because I like nuts! 


Have a great day!