recipe... mini bacon and tomato cups

we love a good appetizer around here...

 

 a few years back a close friend of mine shared this recipe of hers with me and i thought i'd like to share it with all of you... they would be great to whip up for new years eve...

 

i made them the other night for our get together and they seem to be a favorite... and they're super easy to make, too!

 

 

mini bacon and tomato cups

 

 

ingredients:

 

8-10 slices of bacon

 

1 tomato, chopped

 

1/2 onion, chopped

 

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

 

 3 oz. {approximately} of shredded swiss cheese

 

1 teaspoon of dried basil

 

2 cans of refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough {i use the grands biscuits, you'll have a few left over}

 

 

directions:
 

1.  preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  lightly grease mini muffin pan {i use 2 mini muffin pans that make 12 ea.}

 

2.  in a skillet {i used our griddle}, cook bacon until evenly browned. drain on paper towels.  crumble bacon into a medium mixing bowl and mix with tomato, onion, mayonnaise, swiss cheese, and basil.

 

3.  separate biscuits in half {horizontally}. place each half into the prepared mini muffin pan. press the dough down in the center. you will have a little edging of dough that sits around the top. fill each biscuit half with the bacon mixture.

 

4.  bake for 10~12 minutes in the preheated oven or until they are golden brown.

 

they will look something like this when you pull them out...

hope you enjoy!

 

do you have a favorite appetizer that you'd like to share?

 

have a happy {new years eve} day~

angie

 

 

 

 



scenes from around here...

 i think it's fun to have a little glimpse into others lives... so today i'm going to share some scenes from around here with you...

 

 "do-dolph" with your nose so bright...

{marina's hair for her school holiday party}

you know when your child brings you home something from school... that they made with their little hands... and you cry... well, this was one of those times...

{marina...it will forever hold a special place on our hand made tree}
 

my stocking was one of my favorite parts of christmas when i was little... i hope my girls feel the same way...

{the chenille stockings that i made for them}


maizie's favorite thing is art... her oaxacan animal... 

{hummingbird that she made in art class}
 

i've decided that i like cereal more when it's served in a cute bowl...

{love the old pyrex}

 

we've been a little snowed in but it's been good...

 it's given me some down time with the girls...

we've been making snowflakes...

{a fun project to do with kids} 

 

and painting christmas trees...

 

 

{maizie did a great job... such a fun, little tree... and i am happy to have a project that fits in this frame that i found at the goodwill store...}



{the snowflakes and the tree were originally seen on meg's blog... she is always a source of inspiration... you can visit her blog here}
 

 

 

 

some justice shopping for some important things...

{marina cracked me up... she had her little hipster bag packed and ready to go}

 

 a locker to hold your trinkets...

{what every little girl needs ;)... she really liked that it said be happy... and that it had polka dots...}

and some turquoise fuzzy slippers

{maizie has wanted these forever... thanks for the gift card aunt sherry and uncle bobby!} 

 

we've had olive garden for lunch thanks to a gift certificate from grandma reese

 

that included these yummy desserts...

{the one one the left was the best... chocolate and caramel...yum} 

 

we spent time with great friends at their holiday party... live music and laughs... so much fun that the girls slept in until 11:00 and john until 11:45... i don't know how i didn't get any pictures of the festivities but there was drum playing by maizie and she was thrilled... thanks david for giving her a lesson...

 

last night my friend jen and her family were in from florida and they came over to visit... it was so nice to watch the kids play... hide and seek, apples to apples, wipe out on the wii...
and catching up with jen is always a good time... lots of laughs with that girl...

we had antone's pasta and salad for dinner... and i made a couple of appetizers... buffalo chicken dip with chips...and mini bacon and tomato cups... the mini bacon and tomato cups seem to be a favorite... i think i'll share that recipe with you tomorrow...
 

have a happy day~

angie

art supplies everywhere? our solution...

the last few days have been...
antibiotic taking, christmas eve/day missing, gift opening, french toast eating, apple to apples gaming, just dance 4-ing, new coat buying, girls playing and playing, 10 inches of snow falling, birthday party re-scheduling and art supply organizing kind of days...

i don't know about all of you but when it comes to our art supplies... they are were everywhere in our house... we can never find a pencil... forget about the pencil sharpener... crayons all over the place... scissors??? who knows where they end up... are you with me?

i've tried the crayola tower for the crayons only to have the crayons not get put back properly and when they get all nubby the cool effect of the tower diminishes...

i've tried the rubbermaid tub only to have crayons, pencils, paper scraps, etc. end up living there... it just becomes a big, jumbled mess...

enter this neat old tool box... it's perfect and chippy and is cute even if it's left sitting out...

 gather up various jars... mason, pickle, any type of glass container that you can find will work...

start sorting your supplies... when i was teaching art lessons over the summer i had all of my supplies separated into various jars/bowls and the children knew right where to return them to... paint brushes in one, glue sticks in another, scissors in another... markers in another... it was perfect... the only thing was that it took up the whole top of an antique cedar chest in our dining room...

i needed a way to use the same concept but to condense it... the handle on this tool box makes it easy to pick up... you can work at the table or on the floor with all of your supplies organized and in front of you... {if you have an old crate, that would work well, too}

 

problem solved... it looks cute and no more endless hunts for things... your children will know right where to go when they need something and where to return it... it's important for kiddos to have some direction... this will help... go ahead and try it... your kids will thank you for it... mine sure did...

have a happy day~

angie




from our home to yours...

right about now, we would be getting ready to go to my grandparents house for christmas eve dinner... this year will be a little different... i'm sick :( it's been a long time since i've missed a christmas eve...

{i think the last time would have been the year that my aunt terri got me an e.t. doll... i remember being SO excited when my dad brought it home to me... that would have been in 1982... and i would have been 8}

 

i guess if you look at it that way, i've been pretty lucky... however, i am a bit sad missing it tonight... john is working the holiday this year so the girls and i are hanging out at home... they are playing and i am going to try to attempt to make chicken milanese and penne pasta for dinner... it just feels different... not necessarily in a bad way... just not what i'm used to...

 

so... my plan for the rest of this christmas eve... have a nice dinner with my girls... work on little project... put on comfy jammies... watch a christmas movie together... and just enjoy spending this time together... i hope you are getting to spend time with your loved ones, too... 

 

 from our home to yours...

 

celebrating marina

on the 13th we celebrated marina's 7th birthday...

 

those 7 years have gone fast... time needs to slow it down... waaay down...

love

 

{pregnancy was not an easy thing for me... i saw a high risk specialist the whole way through, did heparin shots twice a day, and waited nervously for a detailed ultrasound at 5 months because pretty much as soon as i found out that i was pregnant, i came down with a horrible case of the chicken pox... and i mean horrible... i was so nervous the whole time... needless to say, when i heard that our baby was healthy, had no malformations due to the chicken pox virus and no heart defects, i cried... and cried... and cried... tears of joy and relief...}

oh my goodness... look at that little face...

i miss that stage... i still call her the baby and she's not a baby at all...

 

she fills our days with smiles and sweet hugs...

cheesy cheese

talk about volume... look at that hair :)

 this little girl has been such a blessing... a miracle really... 

she's silly and can be a stinker...

 and she's a loving little sister...

 

she asked for a doll bed for her birthday... and the american girl doll caroline...

 

i found a really cute doll bed for her at target but i wanted to make different bedding/pillows for it...

these are the fabrics that i decided to use for it... such pretty colors...

she was one happy girl... we went to o'charley's for dinner {her choice} and at home we sang happy birthday and had cookie cake {her favorite} for dessert...

 

it was a good day... celebrating our sweet marina...

 

have a happy day~

angie 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

memories...

this afternoon john and i had the opportunity to go to marina's school to help with making gingerbread houses...

 

something so simple yet the kids were all thrilled... graham crackers, licorice,  marshmallows, fruit loops, peppermints, skittles, gumballs, gingerbread men, snow caps, and gumdrops galore...

the children got to decorate a sugar cone tree with frosting and a milk carton house with graham crackers and royal icing...

 

 

they had the best time... kept running back up to get more candies to decorate with... each so proud of their creation...

there were so many parents and grandparents there that it really warmed my heart... i'm sure all of us are just so thankful to be able to have this time with our children... making memories...

 

this christmas season, i have been stressed, as many moms out there are, trying to get it all done... we feel the need to be super in all that we do... and while i love to have things just so, and gifts wrapped a certain way, christmas cards mailed on time and try to make my vision for the perfect holiday transpire, i am realizing that there are some things that i just need to let go of...

 

maybe if my ornaments are clustered more toward the front of the tree because the girls are the ones who hung them... embrace it and let it be...

 

maybe if i haven't had the time to get hardly any shopping done because i've been home with sick ones... it's ok... it'll get done...

 

maybe if my snicker doodles for my cookie exchange are not homemade like i had hoped, but from the cookie dough fundraiser tubs... it'll be alright...

 

maybe if, once again, i am up past midnight on christmas eve wrapping gifts... i'll know that the looks on my girls faces in the morning will make me forget that i wasn't organized enough to wrap them sooner...

 

the bottom line is, in the wake of all that has just happened... we need to really embrace the little moments... for those are the ones that really matter... 

 

i'm sure that in the big scheme of things, what marina will remember is john and i being at her school today with her while she built her adorable gingerbread house... our children are not aware of our daily lists to get things done, of our pressures to have things be just right, but what they are aware of is time spent... time spent with them is what they will remember most...

 

so this christmas season, spend time together, laugh, make some wonderful new memories that your families will never forget... and if that includes eating snicker doodles from a tub of cookie dough, and cut-outs that don't have perfectly piped on frosting... so be it... love that family of yours and let the other things go :) 

 

have a happy day~

angie

 

 



oh christmas tree... a tutorial

oh christmas tree...

 

 

remember these? 

well, i finally rounded up the rest of what i needed to complete this project... {not too shabby after thinking about it for 2 years...} see, this blog is already helping to keep me accountable :) that's a good thing because i am a procrastinator... like, for real... i wait til the last minute for everything causing much undo stress... {more on that later}

 

anyhow...here's what you will need:

~ 2 candlestick holders {your choice depending on the look you're going for}

~ 2 styrofoam cones {i purchased 2 different sizes, one a little taller than the other}

~ 2 skeins of red yarn {notice there is only one pictured... had to run back to the store to purchase more because i ran out} this color will be used for the body of the tree...

~ 1 skein of blue yarn... this will be used for the ornaments on the tree... {i'm really drawn to the red and blue combo this year...}

~ doodle-loom, medium and small size {those are the half moon shaped plastic pieces shown above in the yarn} they are pretty much a little tool to help make the perfect pom pom... this tool was purchased at hobby lobby...

step one

following the instruction on the doodle-loom pom pom maker, begin wrapping your yarn around the tool as shown in the picture above...

step two

continue to wrap the rest of the doodle loom until it looks like the picture above... you will pull the side yarn pieces down from the notches and tie them in a knot as the directions show...

step 3

after tying the side snipped threads loosely and holding as per the instructions on the doodle loom, snip down the channel...

step 4

fluff and there you have it... a finished pom pom :)

continue making enough of the medium sized pom poms to cover the styrofoam cone... attach cone to candlestick holder with hot glue using that as a base for your tree... continue with hot glue and attach the pom poms to the cone filling it entirely...

repeat pom pom steps with blue yarn using small doodle loom form...  make the desired amount to fill in your tree with ornaments... nestle the blue pom poms in between the red ones and attach them with hot glue...

your finished christmas trees will look something like this...

hope you enjoy this project!

have a happy day~
angie 



 

vintage ornaments



i am running so far behind this year... i don't know how that happened but it did...

i'm all out of sorts... feeling very unorganized, had a sick child for the past several days, forgot to pick up our cookie dough fundraiser at the school, have to return books to the college, hosting a cookie gift exchange and need to get out invites, i've been slacking in the dinner making department {my girls nicely reminded me last night that it was the third day in a row eating something with sauce... in my defense, i did break up two pasta nights with a pizza :)}, and i have only a few christmas gifts bought and nothing wrapped...

so what am i doing this morning? trying to write this... ya know, because this is more important than all the other stuff mentioned above... haha... sometimes when my mind is on overload i do the exact opposite of what i should be doing...

oh, and i'm eating lays stax... the buffalo wings with ranch flavored chips... for breakfast... healthy choice, i know!

and john just brought me his scrub pants and asked me how long they'd take to fix... he stapled the bottom of the pocket at work the other night...nice! just give me a sec to handle that repair ;)


 once again... time to focus on something that is complete... something that makes me happy... our christmas tree... wanted to share it with you since it's finally up... 

ours is decorated in all vintage ornaments... i've been collecting them for about 13 years now... my mom and dad have contributed quite a bit to my collection... love when they surprise me with a new one :) john's grandma also gave us 2 boxes of large painted ones... they're beautiful... i always admired them on her tree... one day she sent them home with john to give to me... it made me cry...

 

 

 

it's so cozy when the tree is up... don't you think? 
what types of decorations do you put on your tree? vintage, themed, natural, handmade... i'd love if you'd share how you decorate yours with me...

now i have to go...

because see that sweet little face right there? she's having a birthday tomorrow and i have a little something in the works for her... and i will share it with all of you... i just have to finish it first!

have a happy day~
angie
 

 

gift tags...

i love to wrap presents and today i decided that i wanted to make some cute gift tags...

 

 

when i pulled everything out, it was looking like a big mess...

and i didn't get very far because i had a little girl who was running a fever all day long...

 

poor marina... i felt so bad... she was clingy and needed her mommy... so my project had to wait until she was tucked into bed... 

 

i finally got back to it at 8:30 tonight...

so happy with how they turned out...

 

have a happy day~

angie

two shops, one roof...

 

today was a good one...

 

a new dryer was purchased and will be on its way to us on saturday {good-bye laundry mountain!!!}

 

i also purchased supplies for the tutorial i mentioned the other day... i'll be sharing that with you soon...i've started it and so far i'm pretty happy with the results... hopefully you will like it, too :)

 

but... what i'm most excited to share with you today are two little shops under one roof that a friend of mine mentioned to me a while back...  today was my 3rd visit and i just think that they have some really neat things... i asked them if i would be able to take some pictures while i was there to share on my blog and they were sweet enough to let me do so... 

 

ichabod's treasures and lou berry's... for my local friends... they are on market street... go check it out... they just may have that unique item you're looking for...

 

they specialize in antiques, repurposed furniture, home goods and bringing new life to old possessions...

 

i wanted to share some of my favorites from today...
 

 

a glimpse at some of ichabod's treasures 

 oh deer... little planters...

 this caught my eye right away... retro and fun... guess what... it lights up, too...
the sweet owner of ichabod's treasures sent this home with me... it was such a thoughtful gesture... many thanks to her for the kind gift and for taking the time to talk with me today :) 

 this 7-up crate would make such a cute art caddy... how nice would be to have crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, scissors, and tape all in one place??? organized and it'll look cute, too! 

oh... the crates... so many uses for them... be creative... don't you need one?

 sweet quilt top... springtime, an open field, your cute kiddos... perfect for a photo...

 tom and jerry punch bowl set... cara, this pics for you... thought of you and the story you shared with me about your grandma... 

 

a little peek at lou berry's 

this grouping was adorable... this is one of 3 pieces... and look at that leaded window in the back... pretty!  

my mom was a fan of this guy... i think he needs added to her collection... 

not sure what's cuter... these festive glasses or the box that they come in... 

i may have to head back for this garland... i love it!

vintage christmas linens were draped about...

this bench has the perfect amount of chippiness... and the pillows, um, yes please!

 

 

so much goodness under one roof... go on... support local business and stop on by... you'll be so glad that you did :)

 

have a happy day~

angie