This year, I’m making a few treats this year for the holidays to be given with gifts.

Mint Chocolate Double Decker Fudge: makes about 4 dozen

1C mint chips
1C chocolate chips
2 1/4C sugar
1 7oz jar marshmallow cream
3/4C evaporated milk
1/4C butter
1 tsp vanilla

Put chocloate chips and mint chips in separate bowls. Set aside.
Butter an 8″ square pan. Set Aside.
Combine sugar, marshmallow cream, evaporated milk and butter in 3 quart pan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly til mixture boils. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.
Remove mixture from heat, add vanilla.
QUICKLY: Stir half of hot mixture in bowl with chocolate chips until melted. Pour mixture into your greased 8″ pan.
QUICKLY: Stir remaining half of hot mixture in bowl with mint chips until melted. Pour mixture into your greased 8″ pan.
Cool until set.
Cut into squares

Peanut Butter Chocolate Double Decker Fudge: makes about 4 dozen

1C peanut butter chips
1C chocolate chips
2 1/4C sugar
1 7oz jar marshmallow cream
3/4C evaporated milk
1/4C butter
1 tsp vanilla

Put chocloate chips and peanut butter chips in separate bowls. Set aside.
Butter an 8″ square pan. Set Aside.
Combine sugar, marshmallow cream, evaporated milk and butter in 3 quart pan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly til mixture boils. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.
Remove mixture from heat, add vanilla.
QUICKLY: Stir half of hot mixture in bowl with chocolate chips until melted. Pour mixture into your greased 8″ pan.
QUICKLY: Stir remaining half of hot mixture in bowl with peanut butter chips until melted. Pour mixture into your greased 8″ pan.
Cool until set.
Cut into squares

**Note: Double Decker Fudges layers can be reversed, or you can create your own recipe by substituting other types of chips ie white chocolate.**

Betty’s Coconut Cream Macaroons: Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

3 packages flaked coconut (7 oz in each package)
1C all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup canned cream of coconut (not coconut milk)
1TB vanilla
1tsp almond extract
1 large egg

Drizzle (optinal):
1C semisweet chocolate chips for drizzle
Dash of milk or heavy cream

Heat oven to 350*. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil or cooking parchment paper.
Sprinkle 1 cup of the coconut over aluminum foil. Bake 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown; cool. Reserve aluminum foil for baking cookies.
Mix toasted coconut, remaining coconut, the flour an salt in a large bowl.
Beat milk, cream of coconut, vanilla, almond extract, and egg in medium bowl until well mixed.
Pour milk mixture over coconut mixture; stir until well mixed.
Drop mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto foil on cookie sheet.
Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown (cookies will be soft in center an set at edges). Immediately slide aluminum foil with cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
FOR DRIZZLE: Heat chocolate chips and milk in bowl over simmering water (like a double boiler). Make sure water does not touch the bottom of your bowl. Stir constantly until chips are melted.
Remove from heat and use a spoon to drizzle mixture over cookies.
Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.

Betty’s Sugar Cookies: Makes about 5 dozen

1 1/2C powdered sugar
1C butter
1tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp cream of tartar
granulated sugar

Beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with a spoon
Stir in remaining ingredients EXCEPT granulated sugar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Heat oven to 375*. Lightly grease cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Puppy Chow

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. vanilla
9 cups chex cereal (any flavor)
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave for one minute then stir to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir well.
Place the 9 cups of Crispix cereal in a very large bowl.
Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good covering.
Coat with powdered sugar, sprinkling evenly over the cereal and tossing as you sprinkle to cover each piece well.

Grandma’s Pistachio Salad

Mix together:
1 pkg dry pistachio pudding (instant)
9 oz cool whip
1 small can crushed pineapple with juice
2C mini marshmallows
Top with 1/4 C chopped pistachio nuts
Refrigerate

I made a comment to someone a while back who has 7 kids, that “that’s too many.” What I said and what I meant were two different things. It would be too many kids for me to care for. It’s not too many kids for someone who can take care of them and feed them, it’s fine. More power to you.

I was reading on TLC.com about the birth of their 19th baby, and there were so many mean people telling her to just stop and to quit punishing her kids by having more and more kids etc. I think that is mean awful! They make money to feed their kids, and take care of them. Leave them be. There are a ton more families who have a lot of kids and they can’t support them, so applaud them for not adding their kids to the foster system and/or the corrections system. They’re raising good kids with good morals who end up doing wonderful things for the community.

I just get really annoyed with people. If you don’t approve, don’t bother yourself by reading about them.

I have been absolutely exhausted this week. Probably the frigid temperatures, but exhausted nonetheless. I hate feeling this way.

A set of our pipes froze, and Hubby has been freaking out. It is a big deal for us to have frozen pipes not just from a homeowners standpoint, but from a townhouse owners standpoint. We share walls with adjoining units. If our pipes burst any of the back water could go into the adjoining units and be a huge mess.

I’m hoping to be able to get it thawed today. If that requires me moving stuff outside to place in front of that part of the wall annd hopefully shield it, sobeit. If it also requires me buyinng a small heater to put under the cupboard to blow directly onto the pipes, I will do it.

Let’s hope this terrible weather goes away soon, without any damage to our house.

Some days I wake up recharged and ready to go, but then, I have days like this morning when I’ve got a migraine, I feel like I’ve gotten no sleep, and I want to sleep the day away, but can’t.

I find it annoying that I have so much to write about, and that all I ever muster is a few words or sentences that make me feel sorry for myself, and I’m sure annoy the hell out of you all.

Simply put, I “play the victim” in my own novel. I want to change, I want to become the heroine in my own novel, but I don’t feel strong enough.

So, I have done nothing to lose weight, except my job unloading a truck everyday for my job. I haven’t really lost much body mass, but my wedding ring is nice and loose. It is amazing to see how much weight I have actually lost.

I put on my wedding dress just a few weeks ago, and it barely stayed up. I have lost 40 pounds. In order to have a healthy BMI I should lose another 40 pounds. Other than my job, I never work out. I need to get on a good routine, but it is so hard. I am not comfortable walking around my house by myself. I live near a high school, but I don’t know the hours of their sports practices to go walk around the track which sucks. I have an aerobics step, but I hate how I jiggle now when I exercise on it. I toned really well in high school from aerobics, but it was school, so I had to do it. I need to dedicate the time now, but damnit. lol!

What do you do to keep your routines and keep it strict?

I emailed my ex just now and told him I can’t be friend with him on social networking sites anymore because it was hard for me to see his picture pop up and read his frequent status updates about how he’s so happy he’s a daddy.

Anyway, I am proud of myself. I’m trying to make a new me, so we’ll see how this goes.

I’m writing about something personal, and controversial, and comments will not be allowed. Nearly 5 years ago, I got pregnant and 8 weeks later, I had a medicinal abortion/forced miscarriage. I do not believe the choice was fully mine, and will argue this point to anyone who asks. I often wonder what my life would be like today if I had a now 4 year old. Since this child was not my now Hubby’s child, would I be with him? The other guy? Anyone? Well, since I am a kind person, I still talk to this other person, rarely, but the door for communication is open. Seemingly against my better judgement, since I get hurt by the petty things that sometimes go on. Some time ago, I found out that this persons new girlfriend, whom he said he doesn’t really like, wound up pregnant. Since he was so opposed to the child with me, I found his ‘excitement’ astonishing.

Between then and now, he decided to tell me how he was so happy during his life 5 years ago, and it had to have been due to me. Really? Cause that helps… I know that her due date was next week and found out today that she’s having the baby today. Either already or now, or later today, but today is the day. Obviously I’ve been hurt this whole time about the idea of him having a baby with another girl, not hat I never expected that to happen, but for it to be with someone who he openly said he didn’t care for. It makes me so upset that somehow she’s better than me because they’re together. I didn’t get to reject him, he rejected me. It makes me feel defective. I may not care so much if I was actually a mommy with my husband, and had my own child(ren) to be busy with, but since we’re waiting, I find myself having a lot of time having these unhealthy thoughts.

Okay, to round this out, I had a suspicion I’d feel this way, but I didn’t expect it to be now. Things with kids, is they come when they want. But damn does this sting.

I’m trying to decide if I want to keep this domain as a blog. I don’t blog as much as I once did, I get a lot of traffic but that’s thanks to a really old post. I thought about opening a home business, and I will someday, I am just not sure right now is the right time. I don’t know how I would really get the business out there and get a customer base. I admire blog ‘friends’ who have their own businesses that are doing well, but I am not fully convinced I’ll be as successful. I am really torn.

Boo.