My Happenings

Good grief, Charley Brown! ROFL! It's been ages since I
blogged

. Haven't really had much to say.
Work is the same ol' same ol'. I have been busy
updating my main site with Christmas decor,

tho I haven't touched the house yet...we don't even have
our

up yet *sigh*....I am in a bah-humbug kinda funk!
(I did manage to make progress on a new blog layout/graphics,
but it will be a while yet before I'm done & can upload it!)
No Christmas shopping done yet, so of course no
presents wrapped.

No cards sent/received.
No updates to my Adoption Garden...ALMOST done!
Just been sitting around feeling

all the time....and COLD!!!
Brrrr,it's been so cold here in GA after all those days
in November with highs in the 70's.
We went to the pound Tuesday to look for a cat,

but came home empty-handed.
All they had were under 6 weeks old, and since
we will be keeping this kittyoutside, we figure we need an older one.The lady was very sweet~she took our
name & number, and said she'd call when they
got more in....then we heard back
from her & she said they'd have a 6 month old male cat Monday. According to her, the male cats tend to be more loving, while the females are more standoffish. Anyhoo, Leah & Camryn are very excited, and can hardly wait!

As promised on my What's New page(main site), here are
some holiday recipes
to enjoy! I will be adding more during the coming weeks!

Creamy Eggnog Punch
from the KRAFT INTERACTIVE KITCHEN.

8 cups (2 qt.)prepared eggnog

2 tubs (8 oz. each) COOL WHIP or COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping, thawed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup rum

1 cup ice cubes

ground nutmeg (optional)

Preparation:
Mix eggnog, 1 tub of the whipped topping and cinnamon in large bowl. Stir in rum and ice.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, top with remaining whipped topping and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve with cinnamon sticks. Store any leftover punch in refrigerator.

Jumbo Fluffy Apple Walnut Muffins

A large fluffy muffin with a sweet buttery topping. My jumbo muffin tins hold 1 cup per muffin, so this is scaled for my tins.
Servings: 6

1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, cubed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Coat top and insides of jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at time. Mix together the 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Fold in apples and walnuts. Scoop into muffin cups to fill 3/4 full. Lightly sprinkle the tops with cinnamon crumble.
3. To make Cinnamon Crumble: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup white sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and 2 tablespoons cubed butter. Mix together using a pastry blender, or two butter knives. The crumble topping should resemble small peas.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If they are browning too quickly, cover with tin foil. Remove from pans, and cool on wire rack.

Yikes! How could I forget such great news?!?
Got an early Christmas gift last night....
Malisa gave me, Wendi, and Melly this GORGEOUS
angel bashful teddy page set!!! It is devine,
I'm soooooo excited to
update my Adoption Garden with this super set!
Thanks again, Malisa!

Have a warm, wonderful weekend my friends!