Christmas Stockings!

I have spent the last week making Christmas stockings for my parents, siblings, friends, cousins, and the important puppies in my life. After the first couple they became pretty easy and got done quickly. Only had a million and half things to do during the last week (including finals) so they took me a little longer than what I wanted to get them done.

I got the pattern for these stocking at Prudent Baby (I googled free stocking patterns and this was the first one that I found that seemed easiest). I also liked that I could use a little less then a half yard of fabric and I have a lot of scrap fabric so I really liked that as well.

First I layered the outside fabric (the fancy fabric), a layer of bating, and then the liner (coordinating color) and cut along the pattern. Then I flipped the pattern over and repeated the process.

Next I sewed along the edges on both the "front" and "back".

I used some scrap fabric and created a cuff (I made two of them) and cut a strip to sew on the bottom edge.

I attached the cuffs to the "front" and "back".

Then I folded the cuffs over and pined it down. Next pined the "front" and "back" together and sewed along the edge. Used a piece of ribbon (or scrap fabric) to create a hoop so the stocking can be hung.

Look at how cute...The purple one is for my sister Renee and the black and red one her husband (my favorite brother in-law) Justin. I bought those sparkly initials at Target for a buck. Unfortunately I couldn't find a L, a second M, and P so I found a fancier ones at Kohls.

I think I made a total of fifteen stockings for various different people. Even made one for myself but didn't  hang it up since I won't have anything to put in it. Don't they look so nice up on the mantle and around the fireplace. And look at the lovely decorated Christmas tree.

Didn't forget the puppy dogs stockings; just didn't have room around the "fire".

Close up on the Christmas tree. FYI- I'm in the process of moving and didn't feel like unpacking Christmas stuff just to repack it up (two days before Christmas). However, I did still want to be some what Christmas around the apartment so I drew this beautiful picture to put my presents around.

Now only if it can snow a little bit on Thursday night so we can have a white Christmas and not snow again until the next Christmas Eve.

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Reindeer Cupcakes!

My mom had her annual Christmas party last night and I was volunteered to make some type of yummy treat for her. (I've been volunteered to do other things for her party but that is the only thing that you might be interested in hearing.)

I got the idea for these cupcakes out of one of those home magazines Christmas edition (wish I could remember which one it was.) Thought they were ridiculously cute and that my mom and her friends would love them. They did love them in fact many people said they were to cute to eat. I was happy to see Big-D eat several (guess he didn't think they were to cute to eat.)

The cupcake recipe: Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 3/4 cup of cocoa powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 & 3/4 all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup oil vegetable
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of boiling water

First mix the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Also start boiling the water that way you don't have to wait for the water to boil when it comes to that step; because y'all should know a watch pot never boils.

Next add the eggs and mix well.

Next mix in the milk and again mix well.

Lastly mix in the boiling water and beat well. Scoop the batter into a muffin pans that are lined with cupcake liners.

Bake for about 15 minutes (my mom's oven is kind of a pain in the butt so I don't really know how long they took, I started in 15 minutes and went from there,) or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

For decorations I used some pretzels (I broke them up to make them look more like antlers), red and brown M&Ms, chocolate frosting (I cheated and used it from the can) and vanilla frosting,  and mini chocolate chips.

First I did this.

Then this (I did alternate using the red and brown M&M's).

Then this:

Then added two dots of frosting like this:

Then to finish it all off I did this:

Look at how cute they all look...do they really look to good to eat?

(I've decided that I hate my camera...not liking the quality of these pictures and I apologize for them. I might invest in a new camera soon.)

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Lucy I'm Home!

Hi everyone I'm back. It has been a very long two weeks.

So happy that finals and school are over for a couple of weeks. Getting ready for Christmas within the next couple days (will post in the days to come) and I have other really exciting news (will tell you about that when the time is right).

Oh I am just full of all sorts of secrets; now sit on the edge of your sits and wait patiently. I promise I will tell you about these secrets hopefully before Christmas. Okay that is all I am going to say.

I should probably get back to pretending like I am working.

I will post later on tonight about something exciting.

Love ya guys,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Crazy week!

I have a crazy couple of weeks ahead of me. I hate the week before finals...everything is due and you're trying to study for finals. This means I will probably do some major neglecting of the blog.

Here is what my week is looking like:

Monday:

1. Organize binders
2. Get notecards
3. Finish Statics homework that is due Tuesday
4. Start Statics bridge project powerpoint
5. Start Statics bridge project paper

Tuesday:

1. Look at house at 3:30PM
2. Dentist appointment at 2:00PM
3. Start making notecards for classes
4. Start reviewing for finals 
5. Make list of homework problems for different classes
6. Complete Powerpoint and paper for statics bridge project
7. Work on Owen's pillows
8. Mail out Heather's birthday card

Wednesday:

1. Continue to review for finals
2. Continue to make notecards
3. Work on Owen's pillows
4. Email Powerpoint and paper for bridge project to partner to look over

Thursday:

1. Continue to review for finals
2. Finish notecards
3. Finish Owen's pillows
4. Wrap Owen's pillows
5. Laundry (so I will have clean clothes because I am almost out of clean clothes)

Friday:

1. Mail out Owen's pillows
2. Work on Christmas stockings for family
3. Keep studying for finals

Saturday:

1. Still studying for finals
2. Pack up glass dishes
3. Buy cheap plastic dishes from Meijers
4. Work on Christmas stockings

Sunday:

1. Someday I will hopefully be done studying for finals...
2. Work on Christmas stockings
3. Wrap some Christmas presents
4. Do some Christmas shopping

It will be a crazy week but it will settle down once finals are over and I will have three to four weeks off of school to relax and get lots of sleep that I have missed over the last 15 weeks of school and work.

Out I better get back to working on my crazy to do list.

Over and out
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Anything Goes Oatmeal Cookies

These are generally healthy cookies...it all depends on what you add to them. Last night I made two versions, a healthy version for me because Big D doesn't eat anything that's actually good for him. So I have to hide the goodness of these cookies by adding mini M&Ms and chocolate chips into the cookies.

I even had him try one of the good for you versions and he came to me with the face of dislike and said "did you put raisins in these cookies?"

I know better then that, I know he doesn't like raisins so why would I give him something with raisins; but I politely responded with "no there are no raisins in it, just other dried fruits that you have eaten before."

I even had to remove the Whey Protein Powder to make a few cookies for Big-D's sister who has LOTS of food allergies and was supposedly allergic to something in the protein powder.

I got this recipe from a P90X email that I received and it sounded yummy and I like healthy things so I thought I'd give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/4 cup whole grain flour
• 1 cup of quick (instant) oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup vanilla flavored Whey Protein Powder
• 3/4 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and/or dried blueberries (I choose dried blueberries & dried cherries) 
• For Big-D's cookies I used 1/2 cup of mini M&Ms and 1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Hersey Chips

 Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda and Whey Protein Powder.
• In a small mixing bowl combine the apple juice concentrate and the applesauce,
• Then mix the applesauce and juice mixture to the flour mixture.
• Next mix in the dried cherries and dried blueberries (or whatever else you choose to add in)
• Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray and then using a cookie scoop (or tablespoon) drop the cookies onto the cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before placing on wire cooling racks to finish cooling completely.

Look at the yummyness (is that even a word, I don't know but I am making it one now.)

Enjoy,
Love ya
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Snowing in Michigan

Here in Michigan the weather can change literally in heartbeat. For example last Saturday (November 26, 2011) it was nearly 60°F.  Now today (November 30, 2011) it is 32°F and snowing. When I say snowing its not this nice slowly coming down snow that will accumulate an inch or two of snow; it's snowing hard where I believe that we had probably three inches of snow in like six hours.

Not that I don't mind snow, actually I like until I have to drive in it. I have a big Dodge Ram 4x4 truck, that gets around pretty good even in the snow but it still terrifies me to drive in it because I wrecked one truck in similar type of snow. So when I drove into work today and only had one small/mini panic attack I was very proud of myself.

The snow coming down...look at the pretty blue truck.

When I got the camera out to take a picture of my truck, Big-D wanted me to take (another) picture of his truck. (I have more pictures of his truck on my computer than of anything else.)

I looks so pretty. I like the neighbors lights in the distance.

Weatherman says it suppose to keep snowing on and off until about 9am and that we are to get between three to eight inches of snow. Then get some nice rain and snow mixture to go on top of the snow to make a nice winter fun mess.

Well it should be fun trying to go home from work in the morning. Be really awesome if I didn't have class either and I would totally bake something yummy.

Love ya guys,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Black Friday!

Who went out Black Friday shopping?

We went out Thursday night because the Walmart started their sale at 10PM on Thanksgiving day and Cousin Zack wanted to go and get a ping-pong table. Dude let me tell you there are some crazies at Walmart (no offense to anyone that went to Walmart). The Michigan State Troopers were there and I was like it's never a good sign on calmness when the State Troopers are called in.

Anyways, Cousins Zack got the ping pong table that he wanted, we were all freigthened and decided to go home and just go to bed but Cousin Zack is on of those crazies (okay hes not that bad just likes the excitement of Black Friday so he then sat in line at Kohl's for 2 hours in the cold).

I kind of went Black Friday shopping, bought some things for Big-D from sears.com.

Did you know that almost all the stores offer there Black Friday sales (some even do their Doorbusters deals on online as well)?

We had a dinner and a movie date last night and the movie started at 9:15PM and I was like lets go to the mall for a while. This is where my impulse buy comes in, I bought a new TV.

Hope y'all had fun with whatever you did on Friday!
Over n' out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen