SUPERBOWL PARTY

Good morning everybody! How are you doing this chilly Monday morn? I’m cold and swollen and a little sore, but I’ll be ok. Today’s blog is all about football stuff… so if you’re a fan or maybe your husband is a football freak and you’re the football widow then this blog is for you. Ok, watching the Cowboys be slaughtered yesterday, made me think… OMG with the Super Bowl coming up on February 7th! I need to share some crafts and more party foods with you in case you are hosting a Super Bowl party as well… or maybe you just want to make some new snacks for your loved one while they watch the game. Either way, the recipes can be used ANYTIME and are super yummy and the crafts would work if you ever host a football theme party for, let’s say, a child, etc. So sit back and get ready!

Well first things first, is decorations… decorations include crepe paper, cutouts, table covers, centerpieces, etc. Now sure, you could go to a store and BUY all those things… but what’s the fun in that? Here is a few craft ideas for you-

Crafts and Decorations

1. Make football pennants by cutting triangles out of felt or paper! Decorate with your team's colors!

2. Make paper chains using your favorite team's colors.

3. Make small football jerseys by cutting a shirt shape out of felt or paper. Cut out small numbers and glue them on.

4. Cut a football shape into a potato or sponge, and decorate a plain white or green tablecloth.

5. You can also paint white lines on a green tablecloth so it looks like a football field!

6. Use actual footballs of all kinds (nerf, real leather, etc) as decorations on tables, etc.

7. Use sport jerseys over the backs of the chairs.

8. You could use green paper and get several pieces and tape together and cover your table. Then decorate the top of the table with numbers and lines to look like a football field. Large rolls of cheap plastic covering would work as well… just use white paint or a paint marker and allow time for it to dry.

9. Take real sports balls and cut top off of them, then put container for water and put fresh flowers in them. You can even coordinate the flowers to your team colors (especially easy if making a silk arrangement)!

Here’s a real cute centerpiece even the kids can help make!



Football Goal Centerpiece

What you'll need:

7” paper plate
4 cardboard tubes
Handful of pebbles or pennies
2-3 sheets of brown construction paper
10 glittery chenille stems, cut in half
1 gold glittery chenille stem, cut in half
Green and white acrylic paint
1 thin point paintbrush
1 wide paintbrush
Clear shipping tape
Scissors
Pencil

How to make it:

Use a pencil to trace around one of the cardboard tubes in the center of the paper plate. Cut out the circle in the center of the plate.

Paint the plate with green paint and set aside to dry.

Tape the four cardboard tubes together, one on top of the other, to create one long tube.

Cut four 1.5” long slits in one of the end tubes.

Use a thin paintbrush and white paint to add goal line numbers around the outer edge of the plate (10, 20, 30, etc), then paint white lines between each number. The lines should go from the rim of the plate toward the center. Paint a white line around the outer edge of the center hold. Allow to dry.

Cover the tube with brown construction paper, leaving only the slits that you cut uncovered. Secure with tape.

Use a pen, the end of the scissors or a pointed toothpick to poke twenty holes through the construction paper and the tubes. If you have trouble poking through the tubes because of tape, just poke through the paper. You want the holes to be spaced an inch or two apart and offset.

Insert the tube into the hole in the center of the plate, inserting the end of the tube that you just cut the slits in.

Once the tube is inside the center hole of the plate, turn over and fold the flaps outward, creating a petal-like look. Turn over to be sure your cuts were even, tube and plate should stand up straight. If tube is leaning, adjust the flaps until straight. Use tape to secure the flaps to the back of the plate.

Cut twenty 3” footballs from the brown construction paper.
Add lines and stitches to the footballs with white paint and let dry.

Tape a chenille stem to the back of each football.

Insert the other end of the chenille stems into the holes in the tube. If you encounter a hole that didn’t go through the tube, simply slide the chenille into the hole and it will disappear between the paper and the tube. You can also trim the chenille if they appear too long and reinsert.

Take the remaining gold chenille stem that was cut in half. Bend one half into a goal post. Bend the other half in two and wrap the center point around the middle of the goal post to create the stand. Twist around a few times to create a sturdy stand and then bend the ends (if turned upside down it will look like a goal post again!). Insert the “legs” of the stand into the top of the tube between the tube and the paper.

Tips:

To make parts of this project ahead of time, have kids cut out and paint the footballs and cut all the chenille stems.

Choose the colors of your team to create this centerpiece for any game day, not just the biggest day in football.

Buy construction paper in large variety packs to have on hand for impromptu projects.

OK, so there are some ideas to get you started. If you need more, then just google handmade SuperBowl party decorations or just handmade football party decorations and you will find TONS of ideas! OK so now onto food. We covered chicken wings yesterday… an all-time favorite! You have the obvious ideas of cutting your food into football shapes (brownies, cakes, sandwiches, etc.) and decorating with icing for the laces on a football. If you have a cookie cutter in a football shape, or a cake pan, etc., its much easier, but it can be done by hand if you don’t. Today I am gonna give you a few favorites around here for appetizers and finger foods. And make sure to check out some of my other blogs for more appetizer recipes! Dec. 29, Dec. 30, and Dec. 31 all have a bunch of party appetizers as well! OK so here are some NEW ideas!



Taco Meatball Ring

Ingredients

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons water
2 to 4 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 pound ground beef
2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 medium head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 medium tomato, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
2 jalapeno peppers, sliced
Sour cream and salsa, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup cheese, water and taco seasoning. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 16 balls.

Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Drain meatballs on paper towels. Reduce heat to 375°.

Arrange crescent rolls on a greased 15-in. pizza pan, forming a ring with pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and wide ends overlapping.

Place a meatball on each roll; fold point over meatball and tuck under wide end of roll (meatball will be visible). Repeat. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

Transfer to a serving platter. Fill the center of the ring with lettuce, tomato, onions, olives, jalapenos, remaining cheese, and sour cream and salsa if desired. Yield: 16 servings.



Asparagus Appetizer Roll-ups

Ingredients

12 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 container (8 ounces) Kraft Philadelphia® - Cream Cheese Spread
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
24 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Flatten bread with a rolling pin. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, onions and bacon. Spread mixture over bread slices. Cut asparagus to fit bread; place two spears on each bread slice. Roll up bread and place, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet. Brush with butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately. Yield: 1 dozen.



Joe's Crab Shack Crab Dip (one of my faves!)

Ingredients

2 oz Cream Cheese, softened
4 tsp. Diced Yellow Onion
1 Tbsp. Butter, softened)
4 tsp. Finely Diced Green Pepper
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/4 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1/8 tsp. Paprika
1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 (6 oz.) can Crab Meat (drained) **Use fresh crab meat if you can!
Fresh Diced Green Onion, for garnish
Fresh Chopped Parsley, for garnish
*optional* dash of hot sauce for a little kick

Directions

Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and butter until smooth. Blend in seasoned salt and paprika. Stir in yellow onions, crab meat, green pepper, and mozzarella cheese. Place in a lightly greased small shallow baking dish and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until mixture bubbles, about 10 - 14 minutes.

Serve dip with unsalted or very lightly salted corn chips or crackers. Serves 2-3 as an appetizer.



Pepperoni Pinwheels

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced pepperoni
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg, separated
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the pepperoni, cheese, oregano and egg yolk. In another small bowl, whisk egg white until foamy; set aside. Separate crescent dough into four rectangles; seal perforations.

Spread pepperoni mixture over each rectangle to within 1/4 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seams to seal. Cut each into six slices.

Place cut side down on greased baking sheets; brush tops with egg white. Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2 dozen.



Coconut Shrimp

Ingredients

1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beer
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups flaked coconut
24 shrimp
3 cups oil for frying

Directions

In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, beer and baking powder. Place 1/4 cup flour and coconut in two separate bowls.

Hold shrimp by tail, and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in egg/beer batter; allow excess to drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut, and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a deep-fryer.

Fry shrimp in batches: cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

And I found another wing recipe for you that you may enjoy! So I’m slipping it your way… even though wing mania was yesterday LMAO!

Raspberry Barbecue Wings

Ingredients

2/3 cup barbecue sauce
2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke, optional, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
15 chicken wings (about 3 pounds)
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup water

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, jam, chopped onion, peppers, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke if desired and salt; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cut chicken wings into three sections; discard wing tip section. Place the chicken wings in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Top with sliced onion and remaining garlic. Combine the water and remaining Liquid Smoke if desired; pour over wings. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Transfer wings to a greased broiler pan; brush with sauce. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 20-25 minutes, turning and basting every 5 minutes or until wings are well coated. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

Okie dokie, reading all those makes me really hungry LOL so I think I am going to go play in the kitchen and start something delectable… not sure what yet, but I’ll find something LOL! I have a buyer coming to get all the VHS I listed on craigslist today too, so I guess I’ll have to get out of my Pj’s too LOL! I hope you have a great day and I’ll see ya back here tomorrow! HUGS!

CHICKEN WING MANIA!

Morning everybody… its early and let me tell you the last 24 hours has been absolutely awful! I have a faulty breaker that is keeping my main fridge off… so it’s on a heavy-duty extension cord to another outlet. I went to e-file my taxes and they won’t let me without pre-paying the filing fees (which I normal just have deducted from my refund). I sent the hubs to the store for milk and stuff and one of the tires on the car popped and the spare was flat! Then last night a water pipe under my sink broke and there was water everywhere and my landlord won’t be out until this morning to fix it! I JUST WANT TO SCREAM!!!!!!! OK, now that I have let all that built up pressure out… I did manage to get a bunch of things freecycled that I removed from storage. I also got a bunch of things thrown away that were not salvageable. I did manage to get the dishes done before we had to shut the water off. Not much else went right yesterday! I’m hoping for a better today! Have to try to inflate the spare enough to limp to the tire shop… so I can get a new one and take my mom to the grocery store. Plus the hubs has another interview with an offshore oil rig company which pays a lot better than the money he’s making now. So hopefully today will be fix it day! I’m also going to probably pull a bunch more stuff out of storage!

OK as promised … hot wings bonanza day! Here are a bunch of recipes for some various flavors of wings. Cooking methods are a mix of slow cooker and oven, grill or fryer… just take your pick! Or try them in another method… that’s the fun of recipes! Trying new ones, changes and experiments if you don’t like something! Enjoy!



Good Ol’ Crock Pot Hot Wings

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken wings, tips removed, separated
1/2 cup Frank's red hot sauce
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup water
2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

1 Place the first 4 ingredients in a crock pot on low heat for 8 hours.
2 Remove wings from crock pot and place on a cookie sheet or broiling pan.
3 Pour sauce into a saucepan and reduce by half.
4 Add minced garlic.
5 Spoon sauce over wings and broil for 3 minutes. Flip, baste, and broil the other side for an additional 3 minutes.

Barbecue Chicken Wings

Ingredients

3 lbs whole chicken wings
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

Cut chicken wings into three sections and discard wing tips. Place wings in a greased 15" x 10"x 1" baking tray. Bake at 350ºF. for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour 1/2 cup into a 3-qt. slow cooker. Drain chicken wings; add to slow cooker. Drizzle with remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour, basting occasionally.

*If you deep fry the chicken before you throw it in the crock pot, and leave it be for awhile, it definitely hits the "falls off the bone" state.

*3 pounds of uncooked chicken wing sections (wingettes) may be substituted for the whole chicken wings. and omit the first step.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
24 chicken wings, nude, baked (or fried per your desire)

Directions

1 In a small glass bowl, melt butter in microwave.
2 Whisk into butter the garlic powder, onion salt and pepper.
3 Arrange hot, fresh-baked nude wings on a serving platter and drizzle with butter mixture.
4 Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

KFC Honey BBQ’d Wings (Couldn’t find Wing Stop anywhere, sorry… I’ll keep looking though!)

Ingredients

Sauce:
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Wings:
6-8 cups vegetable oil
20 pieces chicken wings
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon msg

Directions

1 Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until ingredients are well-combined and bring to a boil.
2 Then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
3 As sauce is simmering, heat up 6 to 8 cups of oil in a deep fryer set to 350 degrees.
4 Combine the beaten egg with the milk in a small bowl.
5 In another small bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper and MSG.
6 When oil is hot, dip each wing first in the flour mixture, then into the milk and egg mixture, and back into the flour.
7 Arrange wings on a plate until each one is breaded.
8 Fry the wings in the oil for 9-12 minutes or until light, golden brown.
9 If you have a small fryer, you may wish to fry 10 of the wings at a time. Drain on paper towels or a rack.
10 When the sauce is done, brush the entire surface of each wing with a light coating of sauce. Serve immediately.

Asian Spiced Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

3 poundschicken wings
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons fresh ginger - minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
1/4 cup green onions thinly sliced

Directions:

Broil the chicken winds 10 minutes on each side or until browned. Traansfer the chicken wings to the crockpot slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, except the hoisin sauce, lime juice, sesame seeds and green onions and sitr thoroughly. cover; cook on LOW 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Stir once in the middle of cooking to baste the wings with sauce. Remove the wings from the stoneware and reserve 1/4 cup of the juice in the slow cooker. Combine this juice with the hoisin sauce and lime juice.

Drizzle over the chicen wings. Before serving, sprinkle the wings with toasted sesame seeds and green onions and mix to coat evenly.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

18 Chicken wings -- trimmed

***MARINADE***
1 Onion -- chopped
2/3 cup Scallions -- chopped
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Thyme -- crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoon Ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg -- grated
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 cup Jalapeno pepper -- minced
1 teaspoon Black pepper
6 drops Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons Soy sauce
1/4 cup Vegetable oil

Directions:

For Marinade: In a food processor or blender, puree all ingredients except for the wings.

In a large shallow dish arrange the wings in one layer and spoon the marinade over them, rubbing it in (use rubber gloves). Let them marinate, covered & chilled, turning them once, at least 1 hour, or preferably, overnight.

Arrange the wings in one layer on an oiled rack set over a foil-lined roasting pan, spoon the marinade over them & bake in the upper third of a preheated 450degrees F oven, 30-35 minutes, or until they are cooked through

(Copycat) Hogan's Nuclear Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

24 chicken wings -- separated
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons habanero sauce
3 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
ground red pepper to taste
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup bleu cheese salad dressing
leaf lettuce for platter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine vegetable oil, garlic powder, Tabasco sauce, habanero sauce, vinegar and brown sugar.

Separate tips from wings. Place tips and wings on cookie sheet(s). Using a pastry brush, coat the wings with the sauce mixture. Sprinkle ground red pepper over wings and tips.

Bake wings for 15 to 20 minutes or until browning has occurred.

Arrange wings on leaf lettuce and serve with your favorite beverage. Dip wings in bleu cheese salad dressing for some cooling affect.

NOTE: These wings can also be cooked on the barbecue. Wings should be grilled for the same amount of time over medium high heat coals.

Malaysian Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
4 teaspoons coriander seed
4 1/2 dried thai bird chilies
1 cup kecap manis -- sweet indonesian soy sauce, preferably abc brand
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon red food coloring -- optional
1 piece (1 1/2 inch size) ginger -- peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic -- thinly sliced
12 wholechicken wings

Directions:

In a small saute pan over low heat, toast the cumin, fennel seed, coriander seed and chilies, then grind them in a spice (or coffee) grinder.

In a large bowl, combine the kecap manis, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and food coloring, if using. Add the ground spices, ginger and garlic. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Put the chicken wings in a container large enough to hold the wings and sauce. Pour the sauce over the wings and toss to coat. Place a piece of parchment paper over the wings, then top with a plate to keep them submerged. Refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a wire rack on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lay the wings, skin side down, on the rack. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Bring the marinade to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer until it reduces by about half into a thick glaze. Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Add half of the aromatics in the sieve back into the glaze and stir. Toss the cooked wings in the glaze.

Margarita Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

2 1/2 poundschicken wings, separated at joint
1/2 cup gold tequila or mescal
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 lemon, grated zest of
1 lemon, juice of
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced

Directions:

Wash wings and place in large plastic food bag.

In a bowl combine remaining ingredients. Seal bag and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare a med-hot charcoal or gas fire. Drain wings, discarding marinade. Grill wings about 25 minutes, turning often until they are slightly charred but not burnt (25 minutes).

Peanut Butter Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

50 chicken wings
24 ounces bottled beer
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
2 lemons, sliced thin, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450degrees F. Remove and discard tips from wings and cut each wing in half at joint. Combine remaining ingredients except parsley and lemon slices in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, until reduced and thickened to the consistency of thick gravy. Place wings in a large roasting pan and cover with sauce. Turn until each wing is well coated. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve on large platter. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

Hawaiian Chicken Wings

Ingredients

4 cups canola oil for deep frying
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Toss chicken wings with garlic salt, and set aside for 10 minutes. Place cornstarch in a large plastic bag; toss the wings, a few at a time until coated. Shake off excess cornstarch, then dip into beaten egg. Shake wings in cornstarch again, then fry until golden brown in deep fryer. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Stir together vinegar, pineapple juice, ketchup, honey, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Once the sauce comes to a simmer, place the chicken wings in a bowl, pour all but 1/2 cup of the sauce overtop, and toss to coat. Reserve remaining sauce to for basting.

Place chicken wings on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then baste with remaining sauce, turn, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

To serve, place wings on serving platter, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

So there ya go… 11 different types of wings to try. Shoot, with all those recipes, you could make a platter of each and invite a bunch of friends over for a party! Would make a great Super Bowl (coming on February 7th ya know!) snack table! Of course you would need the traditional dips for the wings and of course chips and dips… but hey WING DAY! WooHOO!! LOL…

Well, now that I know you are set for the day, I think I’m gonna get off here and try to get some of these things done… either cleaned or fixed! My house looks like a tornado came through it! So until next time… HUGS!!!

PIERCINGS AND TATTOOS

Good morning everyone. Hope today finds you well… it finds me very soggy! I am so sick of the dang rain, its not even funny! Its “supposed” to stop later today, but I will believe it when I see it! Thanks for your comment Jean… as for functioning with a kidney stone… well I’ve been dealing with a lot of pain for many years now… I have an unbelievable tolerance. But it does slow me down a lot lol, so that’s when I do a lot of stuff sitting down. My family needs to be taken care of, so I do what I have to do… LOL! It’s just my mindset I’ve always had.

Ok, I got an email late last night from Rachel, asking me about what I think about tattoos and piercings. (I guess cause I have mentioned references to Frank’s tattoo machines, job, etc.) I say hey, if you like it, go for it. To each their own. Just be responsible and most importantly LEGAL about it. And to answer your other question, yes I have both. However, I also have “rules” for myself and my family regarding body art/jewelry.

1. You must be able to cover it up to look “presentable” in different scenarios during life. Nothing below the elbow, on the face, etc. that can’t be covered or removed (jewelry). This rule is mainly to make life easier, because let’s face it… society is not as open-minded as we would like everywhere we go.

2. I won’t put anything on my body that doesn’t have a special meaning. I’m not going to put skulls and Satan and stuff on my body that I won’t be proud of even at 90 years old. How would I explain that to my grandkids? I mean if you like that, then more power to ya… it’s just not me. Oh and remember, time is not necessarily kind to the body… I’m not gonna get, lets say a Tweety bird, on my stomach and in 10 years, it turns into Big Bird! NO NO NO LOL!

Oh, so you wanna know how many and what I have, huh? OK… well I have my ears pierced… 3 times per ear. I also have my eyebrow pierced and I had my tongue pierced. My husband also has his ear and Labre both pierced. He has his eyebrow done but it closed up I have 6 tattoos and I plan on getting just a couple more… Oh and you want to see?? LMAO… ok ok… look-

This is my husband’s name on the base of my neck (yes there is a myth that its bad luck to put a man/woman’s name on your body, but I don’t believe in that… and Frank has the matching one of my name in the same spot!).

This is my Cherry Blossom tree with my Asian words for Father, Daughter, Mother, Sister, Brother. The tree represents new beginnings (had a bit of a rough time with my family) and the yin and yang symbols in between the words. (I designed this one myself.)

This is my tribute to my kids… the puzzle piece is the “symbol” for autism and the music notes for my daughter. They are backwards because she is my mirror image (when you look in the mirror, the notes are the right way… its cool!) Then of course their names on top and bottom. Frank designed this one.

This is the Breast Cancer Butterfly on my ankle. I am a survivor and I have lost loved ones from the disease as well. It hits very close to home with me.

This is my left shoulder piece that wraps around the arm following the blade. Its in honor of my mother. She loves hummingbirds and day lillies, so I combined them and added the words. We still have to finish coloring in the bird, but isn’t it pretty? My mom loves it!

This is a funny one… its my “tramp stamp” as my brother calls it! It’s the Roman numerals for 30. The hubs says it’s my “porn star stamp” but that isn’t what it means at all. I put that on my back because with looking in the past (behind me… hense on the back), when I turned 30 I had a bunch of changes in my life. It was a major milestone for me.

I still want to get one wrapping the other shoulder in honor of my dad, and then something specific for my brothers. I haven’t came up with anything good yet that I would want to grow old with, so that’s why I don’t have them. I want to get a white rose bleeding with black shadows and ribbons for my son who has past as well. I want to add to the butterflies, with other ribbons for causes that have effected my life. I am thinking about having them flying up my leg… not sure yet about that though. I have a couple others in mind too, but we’ll stop there for now. Oh and I forgot to answer your last question… Frank has like 14… including a half sleeve on his left arm and a HUGE back piece in the center. But they are all ones he can cover up if he needs to be a “PTA” dad LOL!

Ok so… has all this talk about body art got you in a crafty mood? Me either lol… maybe someone who can draw would be… I however cannot draw anything past a stick person LMAO! BUT I can sew and craft, however, LOL… sew we are gonna get to the-



Craft Idea of the Day: Cash Canisters

These are super simple to make. We take an old 1 pound oatmeal canister and clean it out real good of dust, etc. Then, using either Modge Podge, regular white glue, hot glue, or tape, wrap colored or printed paper, or wrapping paper around the canister and secure in place. On the lid, make a 2 ½ inch long cut and make it about 1 centimeter wide, forming a rectangle hole. This hole will be big enough to put a gift card, paper money, or change through! You can add stickers, letters, pictures, whatever you want to it! Coordinate it for the room you put it in or the purpose of the container (Christmas, Vacation, Birthday, etc.). Now I hear you, and you are saying how cute it is, but how do you avoid spending the money, especially if you’re in a “rough spot”. I know I have that problem every so often… so here’s the solution… HOT GLUE the lid on… that way you CAN’T take it off and “borrow” from the bank. Each month I try to put at least 1- $20-$50 gift card to a store I know I will be shopping at for Christmas, or my change, or even paper money sometimes. Last year, I had a total of 7 canisters and almost $900 in cash and gift cards. If you can do more one month, then by all means do so… for example tax time, or some overtime on a paycheck, or if you had a bill that was less than you budgeted for… put the excess in the canister. It adds up QUICK trust me! The Santa one is the first of our Christmas funds this year, and I also covered one with paper play money that could be for the cash canister idea (although this one will be something else which I’ll share later on down the road LOL!)



Onward to food… my personal favorite subject LOL! Hot Wings are coming up a lot from my readers… Jean to answer your question, no I really don’t eat too many of them. I do make them however and I normally do it in the oven, although you CAN make them in the crock pot. You can make BBQ, Asian, Spicy, etc. Still looking for Melissa’s Honey BBQ copycat though… not finding it as of yet. So tomorrow, I’ll post some various Chicken wing recipes for you guys and gals… Alright, now its time to eat… got another houseful tonight, so I need a big meal with stuff I already have… hmmm… I got it! I never get any leftovers of this… which I guess is a good thing LOL!



Tater-Tot Casserole

Ingredients

2 lbs. extra lean ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (2 pound) bag frozen tater tots
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions

Season beef with your favorite herbs/spices. Brown meat and then drain fat. Crumble enough Tater tots in the bottom of a greased 13x9x2-inch to form a thin “crust”. Pat ground beef into bottom of pan. Spread soup over meat and cover with grated cheese. Top with remaining tater tots. Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 45 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes.

Well, its gonna be a LONGGGG next few days as the kids are out of school (Martin Luther King and Teacher Inservice/Student Holidays) and the weatherman predicts rain all 4 days! UGH! Stuck inside with a bunch of rowdy people… not nice! LOL! I’m so glad I learned to tune them out years ago LMAO! I’ll be going through all the things I have been pulling out of storage, crafting, and of course COOKING! LOL! Well have a great day and I will see you back here tomorrow. HUGS!