The Perfect Winter Appetizer

A dear friend of mine recently mentioned that she loved Family Fun magazine when her kids were younger. (Her baby will be 16 soon.) She sent me the link to their website and I have been browsing it ever since. New Years Eve I was preparing for a trip to my husband's Aunt and Uncle's house in Springfield for his side of the family's holiday gathering.  I wasn't planning on taking any food since it was going to be a 3 1/2 hour drive w/ two toddlers, but when I saw this it was too good not to take.  The recipe and assembly is fun and simple and it tastes good to boot.  :)

16 oz cream cheese softened to room temp.
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1.)Take 2/3 of Mix and roll into ball for body of snowman
2.)Take all but a small dab* of the rest of the mix and form the head
3.)Mold the head and body together
4.)Decorate (I used raisins for the eyes, mouth, and buttons, a carrot for the nose and carrot shavings to make the scarf, pretzel sticks for the arms and two different sized circle snack crackers for the hat.)
 *Use the small dab that you saved to "glue" the layers of the snowman's hat together. One little smidge of the cheese mixture btwn each cracker. If you have any extra after gluing you can use it as a snowball for the top of the hat. I did but it didn't survive transport :P

5.) Refrigerate to help the mold set

6.) ENJOY!!!!

This is how I did it. As I mentioned Family Fun is where I got the original idea. If you are interested in checking out the original recipe here is the link I used. Family Fun: Frosty the Cheese Ball

Just a Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Medicine Go Down.

Well, here it goes. I have tried blogging before and it has died off quickly, but I LOVE baking, crafting and photography. I have pictures and crafts filling up my house w/ no purpose other than to say to people..."HEY!! Look at what I did today!!!" Not trying to toot my own horn, just love putting stuff together. I get intense pleasure out of taking the odds and ends I have lying around and making a wreath, or taking a pound of ground beef and a cup of rice and coming up with a unique dining creation to feed 14 people. (Me and my family (4) My best friends and their families (10)) 
I have been known to put my kids in the car and run over to my best friend Becky's house for some much needed "Crafting Therapy." As our kids join together in their bedlam we sit around a large box of ribbon or felt creating/finishing a project and taking deep breaths as we join together in our mommy mantra. "We love our kids, We love our kids." 

Me and Becky and ALL our kids!!

Wreath that I showed up at Becky's house w/ half finished  for Crafting Therapy.

 A cake I decorated for my December Mothers of Preschoolers meeting

 Chocolate covered strawberry cake for my friend Jamie's Surprise party. Even the cake was chocolate strawberry, and I was extra proud because this was my first attempt at Chocolate covered Strawberries. I thought they looked exquisite!

Chocolate Cupcakes filled w/ strawberry mousse. The cup of plain mousse in the middle was for my husband. He is allergic to chocolate. Poor guy!! :P

Nothing brings a smile to  my face more than giving someone one of my creations. Whether it is a craft or a dinner or a baked good.  The fact that making it gave me joy and receiving it gives them joy, makes the process wonderful. Sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively it is the sugar of my life. I see most of the responsibilities of my adult life like taking my medicine.  We never really want to. We most of the time fight it and put it off, knowing the whole while it is in our best interest. But what I have learned is that Mary Poppins had it right. A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine of my life go down a little smoother.