Cynfully Wonderful

Rockin the Crockpot

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:24:00 +0000

So it has finally turned cold here in the greater Chicagoland area. So I love the idea of coming home to hot meal every night. I especially like the idea of it being hot and ready when I get home from work. If only there was an invention that would help with such a thing. Haha..

Every week I share with you a new recipe, sometimes it's mine, sometimes it's one I've come across. So I decided that February would be Crockpot month, featuring some new recipes to try.

Week 1 - Beef Veggie Soup
Week 2 - Ham and Scallop Potatoes
Week 3 - Southwest Chicken
Week 4 - Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Week 5 - Chocolate Pudding Cake (you always have to finish with dessert)

Click here to check out all of my recipes of the week...

What is your favorite Crockpot recipe?

~Cyn

Sweets for your Sweets

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:34:00 +0000

Need a last minute treat for the Valentine's Day treat? Try these Peanut Butter Hearts.

These cookies could not have been easier to make. From start to finish you will be done in less than an hour. Here's how...

Start out with a Peanut Butter cookie mix, or if you are looking to make homemade, there is a great recipe here. Mix up your dough, and I would recommend, popping it in the frig for about 15 minutes, just to let it set-up. While that is setting up, pour your sprinkles into a bowl, if you don't have red sprinkles, sugar will work just as well. Grease your baking sheets, and set your oven for 375.

This is also a good time to start unwrapping your candy. In this recipe I used some heart shaped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Other ideas, would be kisses or star shaped chocolate candies. Start with unwrapping 24, and then unwrap as needed.

Once your dough has set-up for a few minutes, you will want to shape the dough into balls and dip the 'top' in the sprinkles.

The cookies will need about 8 minutes in the oven, but keep an eye on them, you want them browned but not burnt.

Once they come out of the oven, place the heart in the middle of the cookie while these are still hot, remove from the baking sheet right away and move to a cookie sheet.

Let cool and Enjoy!

~Cyn

Pin It

Friday Fun Day

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:59:00 +0000

I'm playing hookie today, okay not really I took a day of vacation for today a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes you just need to have alittle break. So what to do today. So far, I'm made it to the sofa with my coffee, and now Max is on my lap and I have a feeling I'm stuck here for awhile. In order to be productive I'm going to put together my day off to-do list.

Errands - which we all know are easier on a Friday, then Saturday morning....

Grocery Store - yuck!
Bank

At Home

write a guest post for another website
write out some recipes
dust the living room
vacuum - everywhere
clean the microwave
clean the burner covers
clean the washing machine
catch-up on the laundry

I'm tired just thinking about it. So for now I'm just going to sit here and finish the Lifetime movie I'm in the middle of, while Max finishes his nap on my lap.

Happy Friday Everyone!

~Cyn

#20SongsILove

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:55:00 +0000

Another trend I couldn't resist on Twitter...Here we go...these are in no particular order...

#20 - 'Little Moments' - Brad Paisley - this was our wedding song
#19 - 'Famous in a Small Town' - Miranda Lambert - one line
            'We've been stars of the town since we were 17' if you grew up in a small town, you get it
#18 - 'You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly' - Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty - classic country
#17 - 'Are you Gonna Kiss Me or Not' - Thompson Square - sweet, just a sweet song
#16 - 'Take it on the Run' - REO Speedwagon - Frat Party. Ohio State. Enough Said.
#15 - 'Bawitdaba' - Kid Rock - if you have seen him live you totally understand this
#14 - 'Lucille' - Kenny Rogers - reminds me of my Grandma, not because she ran out on us, but
         because that was her name

#13 - 'Wasting Time' - Kid Rock - to quote the man himself 'it frees your mind'
#12 - 'Out Last Night' - Kenny Chesney - memories of Summerfest
#11 - 'Knee Deep' - Zac Brown Band - thoughts of what the future should be
#10 - 'Drink in My Hand' - Eric Church - guilty pleasure
#9 -   'Bless the Broken Road' - Rascal Flatts - reminds me that all the frogs were worth it for my prince
#8 -   'Only Prettier' - Miranda Lambert - everything you have ever wanted to say to snotty girls
#7 -   'Honey Bee' - Blake Shelton - great song - great video
#6 -  'Tik Tok' - Ke$ha - see #10
#5 -   'Cocky' - Kid Rock - it's great when you are in a bad mood
#4 -   'A.M. Radio' - Everclear - love to jam this when I'm driving
#3 -   'Whiskey Lullaby' - Alison Krauss & Brad Paisley - best line in country music 'She put him out,
           like the burning end of a midnight cigerette'
#2 -  'Every Rose Has it's Thorn' - Poison - because Hubby hates it when I sing it
#1 -  'You Might Think' - The Cars - stalker song. love it

What are your 20?

Enjoy
~Cyn

Product Review - Prima Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:36:00 +0000

We can all use alittle help now and then. Since I had a coupon and my grocery store was running a buy one, get one free deal, I thought that I would give the sauces from Pasta Prima a try. There was so much to choose from, they have a ton of products out there, but I decided to start with the alfredo sauce, mostly because I hate to make it from scratch, but I love it.

So I made a quick dinner of Chicken Alfredo the other night, and it was wonderful. The sauce was thick and creamy. I did add alittle cracked black pepper while I was heating it up, but that is more about me, then the sauce.

Pasta Prima has many different types of sauces and pastas, they are 100% natural and they are a company with a green philosophy. The next one on the list for me is the butternut squash ravioli. Check out their website here for all the information and products.

Enjoy!
~Cyn

When the Bride Needs a Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:17:00 +0000

We have like a ton of weddings of this year. I have to tell you, I'm pretty excited. My family has even has the honor of throwing a shower for one of these weddings. I haven't thrown a shower in a long time, so that got me thinking that maybe it's time for alittle refresher on the rules.

Who should throw one? This is tricky, some people think that it should be the bridesmaids, some people think it should just be family. The correct answer is either. The shower we are planning is for my cousin, who happens to be my Mom's god daughter, so that is perfectly acceptable. I don't think that the bride's mother (MOB) should be responsible for throwing one, she should be able to sit back and enjoy that the day along with the Bride. Other than that, I think that almost anyone associated with the Bride can host one.

Who should you invite? This is always hard. Of course, anyone who is invited to the wedding is eligible. But, you should really invite immediate family (aunts, cousins, grandmothers) and those friends who you are close to. I also think that it's good idea to invite women that are new to your circle of friends (think the best man's new girlfriend) so that everyone can get to know each other before the wedding.

To Theme or not? If the wedding has a theme incorporate it. In my experience it is much easier to plan around a theme that just around colors. If the wedding doesn't have a theme, think about giving the shower one, maybe an afternoon tea or laundry and linens. Coordinate your invitations and decor around that theme.

What to serve? Finger foods work the best. Something that will not fall, when the paper plate is balanced on Grandma's lap when she is trying to make a veil out of toilet paper. What to drink? I would limit it to one custom drink (think champagne with raspberries) and then just cola and water. If you have children coming, make sure you have a few drink boxes on hand.

Games? I'm not a huge fan of games, but I think there should be at least one. Something simple, I like '20 questions about the Bride' which helps everyone get to know her, or if you have members of the Groom's family involved, change it to '20 questions about the Happy Couple'

Just a few more things to remember...

-Invitations should be mailed, not emailed.
-You should not throw a shower for a second wedding, just plan a special girls night out instead.
-Couples showers are not fun. Plan an engagement party instead.
-Do NOT ask you guests to address an envelope for the their thank you note, you had their address to invite them, you have their address to send a thank you. To the Bride - you are not that busy, they took the time to shop for a gift for you, you should take the time to address an envelope.

Now you are ready, go out and plan!

Did I miss anything? Need help getting started?

Leave me a note below!

Later
~Cyn

SOPA

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:37:00 +0000

I know that everyone else took down there site, but honestly, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it back up, so I decided not to post, but then I decided I should post something.

So here is my quick post. Educate yourself on SOPA, it is the beginning of a slippery slope. Contact your Congressmen (or woman) here is where you can find them.

Later~
Cyn

52 Bags..okay maybe 24 bags

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:52:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago on my way home from work, they were talking about clearing out the clutter from your house, one bag (per week) at a time. It was right before New Year's so they were talking about how they were on Week 52 (how I missed this the other 51 weeks, I have no idea) and how successful they were.

It inspired me. But, I'm not sure that I can commit to a bag a week, if I hit a rough week I'll lose focus and then it will stop happening. So my first project was the corner of the bedroom, this has been my donate pile for the last couple of months.

So it literally took me like 20 minutes to go through, make sure everything was clean, fold it up and pack it in bags.

So now that corner looks like this....

So I've decided two bags a month will work just fine for me. Below is my next project.

I know...it's a nightmare!

I only grabbed one thing from the donate pile. This cookie jar, I cannot help thinking that it's a blank slate and it could be something great, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

So, check out the original 52 bags in 52 weeks. The link is right here.

Later~
Cyn

How I've been Spending my time

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:25:00 +0000

This is how I've been spending my free time lately.

First of all, I haven't taught myself anything. It has been the most frustrating couple of days I have had in a very long time. My short stubby fingers are being very uncooperative. But I will not give up.

~Cyn

Old Man Winter Has Arrived, Are you ready for him?

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:37:00 +0000

My least favorite time has arrived, winter. With living in Chicago you have to be prepared for anything. Last year was a terrible year with the blizzard thing and since I have an actual driving commute this year, I need to get ready. I have a pretty good commute, well traveled, nice roads, but if I have learned anything from last year, it doesn't matter, you can still get stuck. Just ask all those people from Lake Shore Drive.

Now I have the basics in my car, jumper cables, and whatnot, but for winter I felt like I needed to be prepared alittle more.

Look who was helping Momma

So this is what I put together:

Parka - yes I do wear a winter coat, but this one is waterproof
Blanket - so I didn't run the heat to much and run out of gas
Extra Hat and Extra Gloves - both big enough to fit over the ones I wear every day
Water - hopefully I won't need that much
Candy Bars - just in case I get hungry or feeling alittle stress
Summer Mix CD - to help me envision warmer weather

So this is now in my trunk...Bring it on old man...I'm ready for you...

~Cyn

Makes Me Want to Shout for the Wrong Reasons

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:06:00 +0000

I really, really try not to use this blog as a means for complaining about everything that goes wrong or products that have not worked right or companies that have let me down. Sometimes I just think that you guys need to know, and sometimes something ruins your favorite shirt and you have to vent.
This Christmas my dear mother got Hubby so much needed new (did I mention that they are bright red?)Ohio State sweatpants, which he loves. I finally got around to washing them this weekend. I knew they would run, because it was the first time that they had been washed. I decided it was time for me to use the Shout Color Catcher that had been collecting dust in my laundry room.

I took this with this intention of writing a glowing review...not so much...

Do you ever have like two white things that you decide can go in with the darks, especially when you are a using a product that is supposedly designed to for that very reason? If you ever have that thought, just put the whites back in the hamper. Because your favorite shirt will end up pink.

I know it's hard to tell, but it's pinkish...

Oh, there I feel better...

~Cyn

2012 - A Checklist

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:44:00 +0000

I’ve decided to ditch the resolutions this year and instead I’ve opted for a checklist of things I want to do in 2012. Mostly, because I’m terrible at keeping my resolutions, so I decided I need to do something different this year. So here we go…

o Learn to Crochet. I have a book and everything.

o See Kid Rock in Detroit, this of course is dependent on him playing Detroit this year.

o Learn to make homemade pie crust, I have a new/old cookbook I hope is going to help with that.

o Read all the books on my nightstand

That's alot right?

o Make it to Columbus to see alitte Urban renewal.

So I don’t have a lot on my list, 2012 is going to be a lot about being comfortable with who I am and figuring out where I want to go with that.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2012 – may you check everything off your list!

~Cyn

Buckeye Brownies Bites

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Happy New Years Eve!! In preparation for Ohio State's big basketball game tonight with Indiana, and Monday's upcoming Gator bowl, I did alittle baking.

Don't get me wrong, being it that I was born and raised in the state of Ohio, I love the traditional buckeyes. But, honestly, they are alot of work, and I was looking for something alittle different (as usual.)

That is when inspiration struck. Brownie Bites!

They are so easy.

Mix up a brownie mix. Fill the cups (in your mini-muffin pan) up about 1/2 way.

Bake at 350 degrees. Note: keep a close eye on these they only need about 8 minutes.

Mix up your peanut butter frosting.

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1 tsp of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

cream the butter, peanut butter and vanilla first and then gradually add your powdered sugar

Frost your bites once they have cooled. I topped mine with some mini chocolate chips.

Enjoy!! Go Bucks!!

~Cyn

The Best Present I Gave this Year

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:41:00 +0000

These are my Grandma Tennill's famous Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies. They are the best cookies I have every had. We (my mom, my sisters, etc..) have struggled for years to get these right. I would give you the recipe but it's a closely guarded family secret.

My sister and I don't usually exchange presets, let's just say it's because we are 'frugal'. She loves these cookies, and since I felt that I had actually mastered the texture and taste of my dear Grandmother, I had to make her a batch.

There was a wonderful moment sitting in my Mom's kitchen, when we all enjoyed one!

What was the best gift that you gave or received this year?

~Cyn

2011 Wrap-Up - The Best of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:59:00 +0000

Here are a few of my favorites for this year.....
Best Song:

Honeybee - Blake Shelton

Best Movie:

Friends with Benefits. Loving the JT.

Best Book:

If I would have had to read anything other than trashy romance novels, I would have put something here.

Best Lunch:

Chipotle. Steak Burrito Bowl. I even tried to make it at home. See the results here.

Best Wedding:

Kate and William. Kicked the Kardishan wedding in the ass. I liked the hats.

Best Concert:

This was a tough one, we saw so many this year, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw...but I'm going with Kid Rock. We saw him three times, I know that's alot, but the last time was the best, small venue, he really interacted with the crowd, and the best part was that it was for charity. Check out his home page, it will change your mind about him. http://www.kidrock.com/

Quote of the Year:

While driving through KY on vacation, I said to Hubby 'I wonder if we will run into Raylan (from Justified) down here" Hubby replied "you know he's not real, right?' - I blame it on the fact that I was tired, really tired and sick of being in the car...

Biggest Disappoint of the Year:

For me and thousand of Ohio State Fans, it had to be the fall of Jim Tressel, big thanks again to you Terrell Pryor.

Best Terrorist Take Down:

Osama.

What were some of your favorites from this year? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Later~
Cyn

Christmas Hangover

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Can you believe another Christmas has come and gone? Every year it goes faster and faster. I'm hoping that Santa was good to you, he was very good to me again this year (and I filled in with the things he missed.)

This was my favorite present to myself this year. It is a three cup food processor, that I picked up for $12 bucks on Black Friday. So far I've used it to make my breadcrumbs and shred some cheese, I imagine that the possibilities are endless.

I did alittle bit of shopping with my Mom, my sister and my niece on Monday, did alittle stocking up, but honestly, I have enough wrapping paper and cards to get me through the next couple of Christmas, so all I really got was tissue paper and boxes. Oh, and green sprinkles that can be used all year long.

With my busy schedule this year, I didn't get to be as crafty as I would have liked to be, but I did mange to make some gift bags and gift card holders, head over to the Crafty Cat to see how you can put all those Christmas cards you received to good use.

Well, I guess that it's time to get going on undecking the halls and getting my house back in order!

Have a great week!

Later~
Cyn

I'm Back....

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:53:00 +0000

I'm back, and I officially have my own web-site and I'm ready to rock...it's going to be a great 2012!

I am a loser....

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:04:00 +0000

Just a quick note....sorry I haven't been around lately...super busy.....promise to be back soon..we have alot to get ready over the next few weeks....

Fall Comfort Foods

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:38:00 +0000

I love fall it's my favorite season. In addition to the football, and sweatshirts, my favorite thing about fall is the food. It's time to break out those dinners you couldn't make in July because the kitchen already felt like it was 95 degrees, and really who enjoys meatloaf on the 4th of July?

Gone are the salads of August, bring on the Swiss steak and beef stew. Below you will find pictures of some of my favorites...

Not sure why I took a picture of the them unbaked...stuffed peppers...

I call this one..Cyndi Spag...

another picture of something uncooked, this time pot roast...

So what recipes are you looking forward to putting back in the rotation this fall? Click on the word comment below and let me know!

Later~

Cyn

Week 12 : Getting Ready for the Holidays..getting spooky with it..

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:26:00 +0000

Since I didn't post anything last week, you are going to get a double or triple dose this week.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays..mostly because it was always so much fun at my house growing up. Since it is my sister's birthday (that is why she is such a witch! haha) we always had cake and candy. I grew up in a very small town, so we always trick or treated on the 31st, and it was always dark. My favorite part was going to my Grandma's (she literally lived a block from my house) we would always go in the back door in a effort to try and scare her while she was at the front handing out candy. I'm sure she always saw us, but she was always a good sport and played along. She also kept a bowl of the 'good stuff' in the kitchen for us!

So needless to say, I love to decorate for Halloween. This week I got out Mr. Bones, he is skeleton for the front door. We also craved pumpkins. Craving pumpkins for me is a double edge sword, it's fun, but always kinda messy. So I'm one that scoops out all of the seeds and uses as much of the pumpkin as I can. Pumpkin seeds are great for using around Thanksgiving for decorating.

The easiest way to get them out, is to scoop them all out and into a bowl. After you have scooped everything out, fill the bowl with cold water, and watch as the seeds float to the top, amazing.

Next, place them on a baking sheet (cover with foil, and non-stick spray), give the top of the seeds another shot of non-stick spray and bake for about 20 mins on 350 degrees or until they look toasty. Let them cool and place them in a air-tight container. Then store them for use.

This is also a great time to think about what kind of candy you will be using in your baking over the Christmas holidays. Look for sales, and don't forget about your coupons! I've already stocked up on some fall M&M's for my monster cookies I'm making for Thanksgiving. I also stock up on tiny peanut butter cups, for my favorite holiday cookies.

Have a great week!

Later~
Cyn

What I did with my week off....

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:02:00 +0000

If you were wondering where I was last week, please see the picture below. No, it's not our audition picture for the next season of hoarders, it's our kitchen table or should I call it our dumping grounds.

Everything ends up here, bills, pens, craft stuff, ziploc bags (haha), clean towels, pans...you name it. So I took a week from blogging, and TV (I know, but I'm caught up now) and straighten everything out. It's cleaned up now and Hubby and I have decided that it's just better if that is my 'work' room until after the holidays, since I have about 10 projects started already (some are for Halloween, you will find out about those next week). Something else that is clear. We are out of room. I cannot wait until Spring when we move to a bigger place (until then, house guest be warned, it's going to be a tight squeeze if you are staying here.)

When I was cleaning I unearthed my 'homemade' cook book. What it actually is an old photo album, filled with a collection of my recipes some of them family, some of them are printed off the internet, some are just cut out of magazines. It inspired me to make some of my Grandma's Sugar Cookies. I dressed them up with some fall M&M's - they were mighty tasty.

So, I'm back now, lots of Holiday stuff coming up this week....Stay Tuned.

Later~

Cyn

In the laundry room....

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:16:00 +0000

My weeks have been a crazy mess since the beginning of the summer. I took a new position at work, and with a new commute so I'm not always getting home when I want to. Thank goodness I have married man who is willing to provide alittle help around the house. He cooks and cleans but if he has one on flaw it is in the laundry room. He will say 'I'll start the laundry when I get home tomorrow' and I know about 4:30 the next afternoon I will get a call asking me how the towels (he always starts with those) should be done.

So being the crafty girl that I am. I made him some cheat sheets.

Simply and to the point. I wrote out simple instructions on index cards, things like, add the oxiclean, fill the fabric softener ball to the line.

I punched a hole in the index cards (I thought that the heart was a nice touch). Then I added some string, and hung in the laundry room in plain view.

I think this not only a good idea for confused husbands, but for also for kids just learning.

While we are on the subject of laundry, have you tried the new Downy fabric softener? They are called Unstopable, they are like little balls, and they are great. No ball or anything, just dump and go. There have been a ton of good coupons for them in the paper lately.

Ok, hope you had a great Monday..Have a fantastic week!

Later~
Cyn

I can do that.....

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 23:43:00 +0000

Have you ever been out to eat at a restaurant, ordered something really good, and thought...I can do this? I think that we all have. My Mom and I are becoming professionals at it. We try this kinda thing all the time with mixed results.

My latest try was the steak burrito bowl from Chipotle. First of all it is super yummy, it is my favorite lunch (sorry asiago roast beef from Panera).

The ingredients seem easy on the surface. But, there is alot that goes into this.

The bowl starts out with cilantro lime rice. I've always wanted to try and make this. I kept thinking it would be hard. Here you go. Cook rice. Drizzle with lime juice (about 2 tbsp per 2 cups of rice) add chopped cilantro. Done.

Next come the black beans, or as I like to call them, my new favorite ingredient to cook with!

The meat is next. I went with steak, but you can certainly use chicken (actually you really don't need any meat). I marinated it, for about an hour, in a mix of garlic, honey, chopped green chillies, and cilantro. Then we cooked it on the grill, it smelled wonderful.

Then you add the pico de gallo (tomatoes, onion and cilantro). Easy Peasy. Great on tacos too!

Finally, top with cheese (I used triple cheddar), lettuce and sour cream.

Here is the final product.

It was just as good (better in my opinion, because I made it myself) as the restaurant version. We wrapped up the leftovers as snacks for the rest of the week.

yum, yum, yum......try it yourself!!

Later~

Cyn

Week 1 - Getting Ready for the Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:02:00 +0000

Alert! We are just under 13 weeks until Christmas! Can you believe it! So much to between now and then. Don't worry if you do alittle each week, it won't seem so bad. So each week I'll be posting about what I'm doing to help you get organized. By now you should have made your binder. See how here. That is the best and first thing you should do to get yourself organized.

For me it's easier to plan and decorate if I pick and theme and stick with it. This year I decided I picked blue & silver, with snowflakes for the theme. Last year, my theme was crafty and I used a pastel theme and centered the decorations and stationery around Christmas trees. But, I love snowflakes and since it's already so cold, I figured it would be good for this year.

This my niece modeling one of the bags I made.

Cards

Get your card list out and decide who you are sending to this year to get a count. I have a simple rule, if I have sent you a card for 3 years in a row, and if you haven't sent one back, you are off the list. I keep mine in spreadsheet from with columns for each. We are doing a photo card this year, and I'm having issues trying to pick out a picture, so that is definitely on top of my to do list.

What about this one?

Baking

The stores have already started organizing their baking sections. It's time now to determine what and how much of each that you are going to make. Again, this is another item on your list that can be tracked by spreadsheet. This is also a great time to try those new cookies that you have been thinking about making this year.

Crafts

What do you need/want to make? What supplies will you need. This is a great time to start shopping for materials. All the craft stores are running great sales! Plus, you can get those crafts done way before it is time to start decorating.

Gifts

Create another spreadsheet (your computer will be your best friend) listing each person, and what you would like to get each them (it's okay if you don't know yet.) Create wish lists on your favorite shopping sites for the items you have on your list, check them weekly to make sure that you don't miss a great price.

I know that this seems like alot, but we are in this together!

Later~
Cyn

Week in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndi Cook Travis) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:55:00 +0000

What an interesting week this one was. Too many ups and downs, it was like a roller coaster. It's hard to be happy for new opportunities when it comes at the expense of others. Life is starting to get back to normal, today is the last day that we have anything on the calendar until Thanksgiving! I do realize that will not last, but I'm going to enjoy the next couple of weeks at home getting reorganized and ready for the holidays.

Did you have alot of tomatoes this summer? We ended up with alot. We are burned out on fresh salads and BLTs. So last night I took our remaining tomatoes, diced them, cooked them, and put them in the freezer. These will come in handy in a couple of weeks when I make that first batch of chili.

Baby shower! My new office has really gone out of the way to make me feel like I belong. Friday was pot luck day and a baby shower for one of the girls in the office. She is literally the nicest person I have ever met. I put together this gift too easy..alittle bit of tulle and a gift bag and it's good to go..

Things I've learned this week.

Have you ever had to miss a big football game to go to a wedding? I think that this has happened to all of us. Share the misery at this site that I found this week. My compliant was about being a bridesmaid on OSU v. MI weekend. Some of these are really funny...Check it out at fallweddingssuck.com you will get a good laugh out of it.

I also learned this week, that so times people get what they ask for, but then realize it was not what they thought it was going to be.

So have a good weekend, I'll catch you on Monday!

Later~
Cyn