{mmmm.....popalicious!}

As you all know, I was challenged this year to make all my gifts for under $50.00! Well, the challenge ended before I could add this on, but I thought I would share it over here so everyone could get the recipes to make for Christmas! :)

I did this as teacher gifts, boxed them up in fun little tubs from the dollar store, simple, and cheap! But most important, DELISH!!!


First up is Macadamia Butter-Crunch Popcorn. This one is a BIG hit in my house! :)

Here is what you need:
25 cups (from about 1 cup kernels) popped popcorn
4 cups raw whole macadamia nuts, toasted (about 1 pound)
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
5 tablespoons light corn syrup
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

here is how to make it:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put popcorn in a large bowl. Add the nuts; set aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a gentle simmer, about 4 minutes. Stop stirring; continue cooking until mixture lightens in color, 5 minutes more. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda.

Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and nuts; toss to coat. Transfer to rimmed baking sheets; bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until almost dry, about 1 hour. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Next is Chocolate-Almond Popcorn! Its soooo good!
You will need:
25 cups popped popcorn (from about 1 cup kernels)
3 cups unsalted whole skin-on almonds, toasted (about 1 pound)
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt

and you make it like this:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put popcorn in a large bowl. Add the nuts; set aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, butter, cocoa, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a gentle simmer, about 5 minutes.

Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and nuts; toss to coat. Transfer to rimmed baking sheets; bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until almost dry, about 1 hour. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

If you make them together at the same time, you can be done in about an hour and a half. I blogged in between stirring times! :)
I hope you like these! If you want even more holiday recipes, visit http://www.marthastewart.com/

{Something strange is going on.....}

I think something is up at my house.


Because I think we have all lost our minds...


There is something running around that wasn't here the other day...What could it be?


That's right, we got a NEW PUPPY!!! This is Lagan's Early Christmas gift that she has been waiting A YEAR for!!! She is so excited!

She named him CUDDLES! :)



He has been here with us for two days now and we just love him to pieces! He is a Yorkie-Pom (one of those "Designer Dogs" they are making now! hehe You know, mutts they charge an arm and a leg for because they custom breed them!)
He is so well mannered! Cuddles is three months old and weighs 2 and a half pounds! He's a tiny little monster! :)

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas...even if you don't get a dog as cute as mine......I mean, Lagan's! :) hehe

It's a sad end...

No, I'm not going to stop blogging! Its just the end of the Thrifty for under Fifty Challenge tonight! I have had the most amazing time crafting my Christmas gifts this year. I hope I am giving some gifts that will really mean something to my family! :) Plus, I made all of my presents for a GRAND TOTAL OF:

Drum Roll Please.....

$25.34!!!

I have posted all of my gifts onto my secret blog. If you don't yet have the address, let me know by leaving a comment on this post with your EMAIL ADDRESS so I can send it to you!

Also, don't forget to check out the YCMT blog for updates. I am on TEAM KRIS!! We have really been knocking out these gifts! Some amazing girls on there!!!!

I just want to say thank you to Kim, Kris, and the entire staff over at YCMT for letting me participate in this opportunity. I had a blast!!

{Masquerade...every face a different shade!}

Have you ever seen Phantom of the Opera? Well, its my FAVORITE musical of all time. I used to read the book when I was a child, then I grew up and saw the Broadway play, then when the movie came out, I went to see it on Opening night. I have the DVD, both the regular and collectors addition. I also have the soundtrack, both the regular and the extended collectors addition! lol

Anyway, my point. The woman's ministry at my Church hosted a Masquerade this week. It was a BLAST! We had an amazing message, great music, and masks galore! The Masquerade scene is my favorite in Phantom, and I felt so awesome in my mask. Not to mention...

I wore a dress for the first time in my adult life WITH a high waisted belt thank you very much!!

lol!!! I loved every minute of it! I went with my mom and my sister, here we all are before we left. (I must have been tilting my head back here, because my face looks huge! lol)


And here is my lovely sister, Brittany, in her mask.


And me in mine!


It was a night to truly remember!

{It's my Business' Birthday!}

**I just noticed, this is also THIS BLOG'S 100th POST!!!! YAY!
This is so exciting! One year ago I set out to work from home and I was determined to be successful at it! The only skill I could sell was Designing graphics. I had learned all about designing blog's while designing mine. And I had been making graphics since I was 12! So that was my mission. I told my mom I would give it 3 months and if it didn't take, I would go back to work.

Needless to say, it took, and it took well! Well, so far so good anyway! :) I have been in business for a year now designing blogs, websites, logos and splash pages for people ever since!

I just wanted to share with you all because I was just so happy that I finally succeeded at something other than being a Chef!! hehe
If you have never been over to my site, you are more than welcome to visit here: EXPRESSIVE STYLE GRAPHICS

{The incredible shrinking woman....well, sort of}

Hey Everyone! So its been a while since I have updated my Live Well Wednesday! I am still working out and eating healthy and loosing weight slowly but surely. I have lost about 18 pounds to date!!! But why take my word for it when a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Below you will find the first photos that I posted when I weighed 237 pounds!! Next to them you will find me TODAY weighing in at 219 pounds! Can you tell the difference?


Oh, and here is my leg in my jeans. I wore the same ones from the first pictures. They are almost a whole size too big in the waist and they are about 3 sizes too big in the leg!


I want to thank everyone for your continued support in this battle to loose the weight. I hope I can get back into posting more often on this subject, because I know a lot of you all are going through this too! Thanks for letting me share my success thus far! :)