Whoomp! There It Is!

I realized today that I haven't shown you how far The Bacon Level House (TBLH) has come.  Oh man, oh man, I can't wait to show you. You are going to be in awe. My parent's should have their own show or something.  Just wait until you see how far it has come....

Baseball Cookies

I love baseball season; I always have. I guess you could say it’s my sport. It’s the one game that I actually know what’s going on, and can somewhat carry on a conversation about. I first came up with this idea in college, and I was part of the “Diamond Dolls”. I have made these cookie sandwiches at Christmas and used sprinkles on top before, but it hit me during baseball season that these were the perfect shape and color and with just a little something special they can easily become bona fide baseballs!

These are some of the easiest no bake, cutest baseball cookies you will ever come across. Maybe I’m biased? They take a few extra minutes because you have to wait for each step to dry or melt completely, but they are so worth it! I've made these twice for Stephen's baseball team this summer. *Quick Plug* The Opelika 13 Yr Old All Stars are going to the World Series this weekend due to their winning State last weekend! Woo Hoo! Wish us luck!

Your ingredients are simple:
Ritz crackers
Peanut butter
Almond Bark
Food color pen

First, pull out your almond bark. For this example, you will need vanilla flavored. It’s delicious. Don’t be afraid of this stuff. If you don’t know where almond bark is, it’s in the baking aisle right next to the chocolates. Tip: It melts very easily, so don’t leave it in your car during 90 degree weather. Just saying…

Pull it out of the fridge, if you did leave said almond bark in the car and it melted, to bring to room temperature. If not, it should already be at room temp. Get to breaking it up. I did this with a large knife and shaved off pieces. This may be the hardest step, but it’s not really hard just time consuming. Count this as your daily arm workout.

Now we must create a double boiler. If you are like me and don’t own one you can create one using varying sized pots. This technique is not suggested or correct or anything you will ever see, but it has never let me down. I add some water to one pot and turn on low and insert the other pot right on top.

Technically the water is not supposed to touch the second pot. Just be careful not to let the water boil and remember to stir constantly. I hear that it’s extremely easy to do this step in the microwave, but I am a creature of habit and the first works for me, so why change? While your almond bark melts (you can take the smaller pot out of first periodically if you need to do something else) build your cracker sandwiches.

Then, place one sandwich in, flip to coat and remove. This step needs to happen fast because the peanut butter will melt out. I used a spatula in the left hand and tongs in the right. Flip with the left; insert and take out with the right. You get the picture. You’ll figure out your own technique, and it’ll go very quickly. Once all your sandwiches have been dipped, let dry completely.

At this stage, get out your Betty Crocker Food Decorator pens. They work the best. It’s like food coloring in marker form. They’re great! You will need red for this. Now place little X’s in a backward parenthesis shapes, and voila! You instantly have delicious, beautiful baseballs!

Changing My Perception

The four of us (Stephen, Martha, Pixie, and I) have a new friend. He could almost be called a pet, but to be a pet that would mean that I would have to feed him or change his water or let him out...you get the point. This is the best kind of pet, a friend. At first, I was scared to death, and I'm still a little skittish of him and his kind. I don't want to touch him, or have him touch me, but I do get worried about him, so that must mean my feelings are changing for this little guy. This is Dennis. Dennis Hopper.

 After having this little friend show up on Stephen's back steps nightly for a few days we decided we needed to name him. Make him an official part of the family. We went back and forth and back and forth. We came up with some good ones...and some not so good ones, Stephen. My last and final vote was for "Sir Wart of Hoppingham". You must say this with an accent; any kind will do. Stephen liked Dennis Hopper. Telling our age difference, I didn't even know who that was. Somehow it stuck.

We enjoy going out every evening to see if Dennis is out there. Sure enough, every single night for the last month or so there he is. The girls don't bother him, and we speak in passing. Don't want to get too attached; I'm sure once summer has ended he'll go back to wherever he came from, but until then we'll enjoy our nightly summer buddy.

True Friendship

I think today was a perfect day to run across this video. I found a picture while looking around Pinterest. I didn't believe it, so I had to go see for myself.  This is so touching. The video of the reunion brings chills and tears. The looks on their faces are pure joy; they are so happy to see their friend.



I also enjoyed watching some of this interview.



Happy Monday! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Any Night Can Be A Party

Last night, I had three of my favorites that I don't get to see often over for dinner. I didn't take the first picture, but I want to share the recipes. They were fantastic, in that quick and easy sort of way. I had never made either before, which is risky, but I knew these wouldn't let me down.

First, I made Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls. I got them from a Pillsbury email. You buy crescent rolls, Cheddar slices, and sliced ham. Unfold your crescents and roll them up with the ham and cheese stuffed inside. Just lay 2 pieces of ham in it then cut the cheese to lay on top of that. Bake for about 15 minutes at 375. They were delicious! We even discussed how easy they'd be to swap up with other ingredients.

Next, I made Paula Deen's Pasta Salad. It called for a lot of things that I didn't even entertain the thought, but it was probably one of my favorite pasta salads ever. It was one lb of pasta with a balsamic vinaigrette based dressing. I even bought a block of Parmesan cheese to shred myself. That was a big girl step... I had never done that before, but it was totally worth the four dollars. She suggests adding tomatoes, olives and mushrooms.

Dressing: 1 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing (I used Newman's and probably will next time, too) 1/4 c of mayo and 1 Tbsp of sugar. Whisk this together then pour over the noodles. Then, shred the Parmesan on top.

I was so nervous about having friends over on a weeknight, but it made everything so friendly and casual. My house may not have been perfect, and the food wasn’t the fanciest, but we all enjoyed each other’s company.

Moral of the story: invite friends over on a weeknight even if it’s for hotdogs! It leaves less time to plan, but also leaves less time to stress. I will definitely be having more weeknight dinners!

Forgive the terrible quality, and it is obviously not a recent picture

Reality Check

Yesterday, I had to buy gas.

I'm making an amendment to my rules.

Gas doesn't count.

Coupon Failure

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping for a few items. Only a few, I promise. I had one small buggy full. You know those half sized, double-decker things? Anyway, I had already mapped out the sale items, and I had my coupons ready. I didn’t have pockets, so I took my coupon organizer-thingy. {That is a technical term.} My previous grocery shopping experiences with coupons I’ve always had Stephen with me. I’d hold the coupons, he’d push the buggy and then I’d hand him the coupons we were using to put in his pocket. This method works great. Yesterday, I went it alone.


So, I’m pushing the buggy, holding my organizer-thingy and scanning the aisles. I start to go through my coupons {while still in the organizer-thingy} and it starts to open on me because it’s an accordion type folder. Next thing I know, most of my coupons go flying to the floor. They go everywhere. Thinking back on it, it was quite hilarious. At the moment, it was not. I almost panicked. So, trying to remain all calm and cool, as I usually try to do when in public, I grabbed them (after a few minutes of crawling around on the floor) and stuffed them back in. I guess I’ll spend this afternoon re-organizing.

I’m not getting the hang of coupons, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

(Saving) Dollar Days

With the economy where it is I thought I’d challenge myself to saving more money (or not spending any- but that sounds lame, so I’ll say saving).  A friend gave me the idea of giving myself $50 a week to spend, then saving the rest… but I am going to take that one step further and allow myself $25 a week.  What?! Twenty.Five. Dollars. For. One. week?? Is that to include gas, food and life, you may ask! Yes. I am as nervous as you are. It may not be possible, but then again it may. Now, the rules: If I don’t spend the full $25, it can carry over. Keep in mind I’m on the road for one hour every day, and I have a gas guzzler.  Get a smaller car, you suggest?  This one was given to me by my wonderful parents= no car payment.  Case closed.  That’s it. It’s June 13^th. I’ll do this for the rest of June.  Here goes nothing! I’m scared!  I’ll keep you updated on my progress. This doesn’t mean I’ll start living a boring life; it just means I’ll have to be more creative in my activities and meal planning. By meal planning I mean sandwich making.

What are your saving money tips?

Not Ashamed

I have poor taste in TV; just ask anyone who knows me. I love Home Improvement. I love The Nanny. I especially love Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. These are without a doubt the very best shows to go to bed to. For your enjoyment, I will share with you one my favorite clips. I laugh every time.

Have a happy weekend!

Confession

I don't like basil.

That feels good to say out loud. I feel so much better. Thanks for letting me vent.

I really enjoy the smell of basil, but I can't eat it. I tried. I was shocked, because for so long I figured I liked it. I really had never had it though. This weekend, Stephen and I went to a concert in Atlanta, and we went to a restaurant called The Big Ketch.  It was great. I discovered I do like raw oysters, and they brought boiled peanuts to lightly munch on while we waited. Boiled peanuts. Free. I was in heaven. There wasn't much light munching, but there was a lot of throwing peanuts toward my face. I caught most of them. I ordered a shrimp salad. They brought me orange-basil vinaigrette. It was horrendous. Next year, I think I'll figure out a different herb to plant.




This was afterwards; please excuse the sexy hot, sweaty look.

We love this hotel. They offer a free limo service to and from the show.

The Disappearing Blueberry

Oh, this summer heat is fantastic isn't it? I just love how all my plants act like big babies in this weather. I water them thoroughly (daily), and by the next afternoon they're all acting as if they're about to die. All withered over.  I can just hear them crying out to me, "Mama, waaaaah, I'm hot! I'm tired! I'm thirsty!" I mean come on, grow up already!  It's true. They cry.

So, (daily) I go out and water them. I snip back pieces that need snipping. I drag the water hose from one end of my house to the next, then carefully roll it back up (daily), and all without complaining.... I did get to try my first blueberry the other day.  It wasn't ripe; I was too eager. I spit it out.  However, the last few days I've had one blueberry that looked to be just about ready to pick. The just about ready to be picked part was key, so I left it out to ripen a wee bit more. The next day it's gone. Every time. Not parts of it eaten; it just disappears. Maybe someone is coming by and picking it?  Maybe my yard bunny jumped up and picked it? I keep hearing it's the birds, but I feel that the birds would leave some sort of evidence. I think it's my plants playing tricks on me. Or, there is a blueberry snatcher on the loose. Either way, I don't think I'm going to get my baskets of blueberries this year as I had hoped.

Take Me Out

Check out my post on Everyday Re-Creations! Here's a sneak peek!

www.EverydayRe-Creations.com



Mi Jardin

I'm so pleased with my garden this year. Stephen helped me one day plant these flowers out front, hang my fern and plant a Hydrangea (not pictured). My mom helped me with the Jalapeno plants, and I planted the Basil. Do you want any? I plant it just because, but I don't ever use it. Any ideas what to do with it? We have an abundance of misused herbs; that should be a crime.   My parents also planted my back flower garden with three blueberry bushes and a Dogwood tree! They have blueberries on them; they aren't blue yet. It has been such a joy to see them grow. I can't wait to have blueberry smoothies and muffins all summer long!

We also celebrated seis de Mayo! (Get it, because we celebrated the sixth instead of the fifth?)

Check out how my window garden is coming along!

You Asked For It

Okay, so you didn't ask me directly for it, but I'm sure you thought about it!

Here's an update on my parent's "little" project. It has come such a long, long way.  Right now, the main focus is on the outdoor kitchen area.  An outdoor kitchen is what inspired this idea.  My dad wanted a place to grill and eat outside, but he needed some sort of structure.  < Insert genius (?) idea from my mom on moving this house over. >

He originally thought about building a small barn type facility that would allow for one bedroom, small gathering space and a small kitchen.  This fits that description perfectly, and it already has the exterior complete. The interior is a whole different ballgame!

Back to the point- the outdoor dining area is main priority.  The area has been built up, and the concrete has been poured.  Next, it will be covered in rock.  It's finally starting to look like something.  Dad says we will be able to grill out for the 4th of July...we shall see! Stay tuned!

First, I want to remind you what it used to look like.

It's looking great! I can't wait to use it! GREAT JOB, DAD and MOM!

Fun Fact Friday: Coffee Grinds

Today I will tell you about what I learned this past week. I've learned that not only do coffee grinds keep slugs at bay, but they are also good for your soil.

This is very green. Maybe I'm becoming green? I think I'm more of an army green.

Whatever your reason, it helps the environment out and it helps your plants out. I hear that coffee grinds especially help out with blueberries, hydrangeas and azaleas, but that "may just be a myth".  You can read all about it here.

Also crush up your egg shells and throw them into your soil.  Great for the environment, great for soil and slugs can't crawl over the sharp edges.  If you wonder why I'm hating on the slugs right now, it's because they can kill your plants! You can also set out a small container with beer in it at the base of your plant. Slugs (like me) like beer. They will crawl in, drink until their hearts are content and die. 

I think I'd rather not waste beer on the slugs, so I'm testing the coffee grinds.

Not sure if this is what they're suppose to look like. Here's hoping they'll turn blue soon!

And for your viewing pleasure:

My Potholder =)

Not All It's Cracked Up To Be??

No. 3 on my "30 Before 30" List is going to the Kentucky Derby wearing a big ole hat and drinking a cold mint julep from my silver mug.  Seeing as how no one thought I was serious when I said I wanted to go to the Derby, I decided to have a practice round this year.  Luckily, besides the humonganguous rosemary bush Stephen also has mint in his yard, spearmint and regular.  He has been telling me for months he had it,  I didn't believe him, so I thought this would be the best time to try it out! Now we have all the perfect makins' for a true Kentucky mint julep.

Derby day I woke up, took a shower (shocker, if you know anything about me, you know I hate taking a shower), put on my pearls, lace top and my big two dollar Target find floppy garden hat. I was ready! I had taken some mint from Stephen's garden and began to make my mint simple syrup. I used 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup water and a bunch of mint. You know I eyeball that kind of stuff. Brought to a boil then let it cool in the frig.

Stephen and I went to the ABC store (he wouldn't let me wear my hat in) and picked up a bottle of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. We wanted this to be authentic, so we used the recipe from KentuckyDerby.com.  We placed our bets, or so we thought, and went to make our drinks.

So, the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of your simple syrup mixture and 2 ounces of bourbon. That's not a very big drink, so we tried to use the same proportions.  We also added more crushed mint and crushed ice. Topped it off with a fresh sprint of mint, and it was ready to go down. Man, it was pretty! Probably the prettiest of all the libations I have ever re-created. I even set up a little photo shoot for it. I was in love. That is until I took my first sip....YEEE-UCCK! It was like an explosion of sugar at first, then you realize it's a shot of whisky. Every sip was like that. I managed to force down maybe a 1/4th of my glass, but sadly I couldn't handle it. Our relationship came to an end after the race was over; you know about two minutes later.

Now, let's rewind about five minutes. We made our drinks, watched the National Anthem and got ready for the race. We get a call, the website is down and our bets didn't go in. We didn't place big bets, but we wanted to have something in it, so it came down to the wire. About one minute before the race began, our bet goes through. We have a few dollars on the favorite 8. Dailed In and few on 15. Midnight Interlude. The race begins, we are so excited. Imagine us: Me- jumping up and down screaming, with my hat on and a full glass of mint julep; Stephen- sitting in his chair calmly saying something like let's go.  Two minutes later, it ends. It's over. That's what all the hype and preparation was for. We win nothing. 8. Dailed In gets 8th place and 15. Midnight Interlude gets 18th (I think). 18th out of 19 horses. Do we know how to pick em or what.

notice the rosemary behind me

Regardless of the let down of the drink and the let down of the race, I enjoyed it! I think it was so much fun. I can only imagine what it would be like to be there surrounded by all the celebrities and beautiful fashion. Oh, be still my heart. Animals and big hats. I love em. I do love them both. Maybe next year.

so not even a 1/4th

Chalk It Up

Remember yesterday when I said I was a kid at heart? Remember last week when I said I was a sixty-five year old woman? Apparently there's a battle over who I really am!

Let's chalk another one up to the sixty-five year old lady!

I decided I needed a new hobby, so where better to go than Hobby Lobby?! While there I picked up a kit entitled "I Taught Myself to Crochet", and I spent all of last night teaching myself to crochet. (Appropriate title, right?)

I'm so excited! I have a long ways to go, but one day I'm going to be making afghans and mittens and coasters and booties! ha! No, seriously, I am excited. If anyone has any pointers, please send 'em on over!

Last night, I made a bookmark. Not really, it's just about the size of a bookmark, but it's a great start! So, I hope everyone is ready to start receiving crocheted presents!! =)

source

 I'm pretty sure I'll have to learn to make this.



source

And this.



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And who couldn't use one of these?



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And a pair of these.

source

And what the heck? One of these, too!

Just wanted to say...

Thank you!

Thank you for stopping by.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read what I have to say.

Even though most of the time it's random nonsense.

Whether it's none, one or all 25 of my faithful followers (or more that I secretly don't know about; you sneaky thing!???) I appreciate each and every one of you!

Just for stopping by, I'm going to show you a picture of Pixie, and I won't tell you about the dream I had last night where a huge tiger that turned into a polar bear got her. We had to take a moment this morning and hug it out.

Thanks for stopping by! Lots of love, Kirby

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

Today I have nothing to say, so I will share some photos of our recent (like a month or so ago) trip to the zoo.

This guy tried to eat my hair.



This guy wanted nothing to do with me.

Rawh!

Perfection

Go Valley!

Favorite.

When I was a young warthog...

It was such a fun day! I am a kid at heart, and Stephen is a good sport.