Instead of Florida and Oregon, I Give you a Wreath Made Entirely of Candy

I realize that I have been a bad blogger.  I have had lots going on that I have to share, including my two recent trips, but have not gotten around to it.  So today I offer a fun Halloween craft, a candy corn wreath.

You need the following:

• Candy corn (just to be safe, buy two bags) that has set out for a few days to dry

•  A foam wreath

• Black duct tape
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Some type of protector to spray on the candy corn to prevent melting and bugs
• Ribbon

 Wrap the wreath in the tape, entirely.

Then glue the candy corn around the wreath.

Here is the finished product:

I've already run into the problem of melting because it has gotten warm in Arkansas so my advice is to watch the the temp and sun if you are going to use on your door.

We're Baaaaack!

We returned yesterday from a wonderful vacation in Florida.

Once I unpack, respond to emails and put Halloween decorations up, I'll blog about it.

Best Story at a Funeral, Ever

If you are offended by the title, I'm sorry (but not really).  I think it is so important to have laughter in the midst of grief.  In fact, I told my friends and family that when I die, there seriously better be a lot of laughing and celebrating going on instead of tears; with one exception.  Beau better be (or pretend to be) distraught.  I'm talking potato sack, ashes and a scene in front of my urn (I also want to be cremated.  Is a blog a legal will and testament?)

With this weekend came my cousin, Mitchell's visitation and funeral.  Although there were a lot of tears, there were a lot of laughs because to know Mitchell was to love Mitchell.  The best story came during the funeral from the preacher, Bro. Verne, who has known my cousin since he was little. 

"In all my years of preaching Mitchell was the only kid I knew who shook my hand after every children's sermon (held during the church service on Sundays).  All of you adults in the congregation thought it was cute but what you did not know was that as he was shaking my hand, he was giving a detailed critique of my sermon."

It was the perfect story in an imperfect situation and something that summed up our cousin who was gracious, kind and a literal genius from birth.  Bro. Verne also talked about Mitchell's ability to love and accept everyone even when his differences that stemmed from Autism, kept others from accepting him.   His life was a great lesson to all of us to love unconditionally like Christ. 

Through this I have been reminded of how many wonderful people my family has in our lives.  Specifically for me, my two best friends, Courtney and Irish and my in-laws.  From the second they all heard the news, they were praying, asking what they could do, sending flowers and food and at the funeral.  Thank you to them and all of you who have sent condolences and prayers.  It means the world in a difficult time.

A Tough Loss

This is the kind of post I wish I didn't have to write, ever.  On Monday my 23 year old cousin, Mitchell passed away in a tragic occurrence.  Mitchell was a very special member of our family.  He was diagnosed with Autism at a young age and never ceased to amaze our family.  He was literally genius, reading from a college level book and processing the information at an age when most children are learning their ABC's.

We have no doubt about his salvation so I am strongly comforted in knowing he is in Heaven where he isn't limited any more.  The hardest part is seeing the pain my aunt and uncle are enduring with the sudden and unexpected loss of their young son.

Please pray for our family, specifically Mitchell's parents during this difficult time.

Greetings from the West Coast

I am in Oregon until next week for a work conference. My hotel room back door walks out to the beach so I will struggle to actually attend the conference. I will be sure to take lots of photos and share them next week!

Five Dollar Bed Side Table

Last weekend on the way to the park with the demanding dog, I made a quick stop at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store (ticking the demanding dog off).  I have been searching for a two drawer bed side table to re-do for a year with no luck.  I have seen a few that were okay but not what I had in mind.  So when I found this table as soon as I walked in the store:

 I was thrilled.  It was exactly what I had been picturing in my head.  The price was $25 which was slightly disappointing because it's my belief that the only reason Beau has kept me around for so long is that he gets great joy in responding to a visitor's decor compliment with, "She bought that for under $10 and slapped a coat of paint on it."  I told myself that $25 was really very cheap and worth the use I would get out of the table.  As I went to check out the guy said something about the table being $5.  As much as I wanted to agree with, "Yeah, that's what the price sticker says." I told him it was $25.  "No ma'am, everything here is 75% off."  My response was what any red-blooded individual would have said, "Well let's throw that sugar bowl in too."

I started working on it last Sunday after church and finally finished it this weekend.

Looks good for $5, right?

Here it is in my room.  I wish it was a little taller because our bed so tall but it is not a big issue.  That picture is of me and Dad on the beach when I was little.  The lamp no longer matches our bed spread but it did match the old one.  Eventually I would like to get new lamps but haven't seen any I love.  Knowing me it will probably be next June before I find what I'm looking for. 

Last night I kept waking up to Beau snoring and Mamie smacking (a sound she occasionally makes in her sleep, seriously.) I would have been mad but every time I opened my eyes all I thought was, "Man that table looks good."

Game Day Recipes

With football season comes lots of good eats.  For the opening Razorback game two weekends ago, Mom and Dad came over.  Dad smoked a chicken and baked potatoes so I made baked beans and a dessert, which I am sharing the recipes with you today.

For the beans, I put a large can of honey baked beans in a baking dish, added some honey BBQ sauce, chopped bell pepper and brown sugar.  Bake on 345 degrees, covered, for around 30 minutes.  I forgot to get a picture of the beans after I took them out of the oven but trust me when I say they are delicious.

For dessert I made brownie pudding.  It is like a mushy, runny brownie. 

Brownie Pudding

Ingredients:
½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Lightly butter a 2-quart oval baking dish.  Melt the 2 sticks of butter and set aside to cool.

  

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs and sugar. 

Beat together on medium-high speed until thick and light yellow in color. Next, add a tsp of vanilla. Meanwhile, combine the flour and cocoa powder in a medium bowl and whisk together until blended.

 Add the flour-cocoa powder mixture to the bowl as well.  Mix on low speed just until combined. 

Add the the melted butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Place the baking dish in a larger baking pan.  Add very hot tap water to the outer baking pan to create a water bath, coming halfway up the side of the baking dish. 

Bake for 60 minutes.

 The center will appear very under-baked, that is the way the dessert should be. 

Allow to cool slightly before serving with ice cream.