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Happy New Year – 2013

December 31, 2012adminLeave a comment

I’m excited for the new year! It’s different this year. Some years I have handled going into the next year with indifference. I felt it was just another year, same as the last. I was sick of all the new year garbage on television, radio, and internet of “quit smoking”, “lose weight”, resolution this and that. In other years I handled going into the new year with the attitude that it was a “clean slate”. I made my resolutions and kept track of how long I could go without swearing, eating chocolate, or drinking soda. It’s different this year because of the way I am looking at the layout of this new (and hopefully improved) year. It’s not a good idea to be indifferent about your future and you can’t disregard failures and successes with a “clean slate” attitude.

On this last day of 2012 I am looking back thoughtfully and planning ahead optimistically. I’ve set some new goals for 2013, both personally and vocationally. I want to attend more events and travel locally with my family. I want to be more active outside before spring gets here. I want to read more and participate in more events at our local library. I want to make more sock monkeys! These are a few of my goals for the new year and the year after that, and the year after that….

I don’t know what the next year will bring, but I know what I will be doing this evening. To bring in the new year I will be with my family eating those little smokey cocktail weenies my daughter loves, drinking wine that I love, and eating Mamba chewy candies that my husband loves. We will watch the ball drop and clink glasses and say, “Happy New Year!” Tomorrow we will work on making the year Happy!

I hope you are looking ahead optimistically at 2013.

Happy New Year! 😀

Missie

Ditz Machine

December 27, 2012December 27, 2012adminLeave a comment

Did you have a nice Christmas? I really did this year. I had a great time talking with family and friends. People gave me some very nice gifts and did not go overboard on the quantity of presents given. I feel people were happy with the gifts my family gave. My only complaint, and it is my own fault, no one but mine, I ate and drank WAY too much! I feel like I am detoxing as I write this (and when I said “drank” I meant soda and punch. I am not a big alcoholic drinker. I had a glass or two of wine, but too much soda!) I am so sorry liver and pancreas! I will behave now!

So, what is next? I know many people are still visiting with their families. My sister stayed with my family over Christmas, but she went home yesterday. I will spend time with my daughter today and tomorrow. My husband went back to work yesterday. I also am back to work sewing, crocheting, and minding the store (Inspired for You). I’m just not good at sitting still. When I do, I eat and get antsy.

Valentine Socks (Medium) — Valentine Sock Monkeys Before Photo

What is giggleFritz working on? Sock Monkeys!!! Of Course! I have some very cute socks for Valentine sock monkeys. They should be ready before February 1^st. But, not only sock monkeys. For the past six months I have been telling myself to pretty up and organize my workspace. Something always comes up or is more important to work on. No more excuses! Yesterday, I started arranging my workspace and making plans for a more organized, Zen area where I can create beautiful things! I will paint a wall, get some bookshelves, buy better office supplies, and be ready for the “come what may”. Then, I will do my taxes. No more Ditz Machine! My New Year resolution, no, my right now and always resolution, is to be more put-together. I will share some “before” and “after” photos when I am finished.

If you have some holiday time off, enjoy and relax!

If you are working today or this week, MAKE your day great!

~Missie

Snowy Day

December 18, 2012December 18, 2012adminLeave a comment

We’re living in a real live snow globe here in West Bend, WI! So beautiful, yet so dangerous to drive in.

Snowy 1 (Medium) — Snowy Window View

My Snowy Balcony

Snowy 2 (Medium) — Snowy Window View

My Snowy Balcony

Friday, November 30, 2012

November 30, 2012adminLeave a comment

I am off to work at Inspired for You in a little while. I have been working hard to make more sock monkeys for the store. If you come in and visit today, you will find me at the desk stitching on monkey limbs and tails. After work we are getting our real, wonderful-smelling Christmas tree! This is fun busy!

Tomorrow, I will be attending a neat coupon class at the West Bend Community Memorial Library. They started sending out emails every month not long ago. I recently got an email advertising this free class on couponing and starting a coupon binder. I use coupons, but I am not a super couponer. I am hoping I can learn something new for household grocery shopping, but also, I want to apply it to purchasing materials for giggleFritz and Co. We’ll see how it goes.

Have a great Friday!

Missie 😀

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

November 28, 2012November 2, 2019adminLeave a comment

I am not very upset that Hostess has gone out of business. It has been years since I have purchased a Twinkie, HoHo, Fruit Pie, or Zinger. I really like to bake our snacks and treats. It is healthier, cheaper, and I always learn new things when I work in my kitchen.

I have been collecting recipes for years. I have a cupboard filled with cookbooks and notebooks shoved with clipped out recipes from newspapers and magazines. I also have a good number of recipes inherited from my Mom and Grandma. I have probably made 25% of the recipes in my possession, but I enjoy sorting through them once or twice a year and discovering something that I could make in the next menu lineup. I also love the mishmash of color and texture of the pieces of paper I have collected.

recipe pic (Medium) — Part of my Recipe Collection

One of the best cookie-bar recipes I have been using is the Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe from the Gold Medal unbleached flour package. There’s a good amount of fiber in these cookies, they are soft, and they taste great. I have been making them into bars. We freeze half of the bars immediately after they cool. We enjoy the other half of the bars for dessert and in lunches for three days. When they thaw out later, they are perfect!

Cookies on Plate (Medium) — Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Bars

Cookies in container (Medium) — Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Bars ready for freezer

Here is the recipe from General Mills:

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 3 ½ dozen cookies

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 ½ cups Gold Medal unbleached flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

*****************************************************************************************

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until blended, or hand mix with wooden spoon. Add oats, flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded spoonful 2 inches apart.
Bake 9-11 minutes or until golden. Cool for one minute on cookie sheets then place on cooling racks.

These also make GREAT bars and are even faster to make!

Instead of dropping into cookies, spread into a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet and bake 15-18 minutes or until golden.

To print this recipe from a .pdf document, click here: Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies Recipe

Enjoy your cookies/bars!

~Missie 😀

Working through the Holidays

November 27, 2012November 29, 2012adminLeave a comment

Holidays are a lot of work, aren’t they? I really look forward to Thanksgiving every year, and every year I overdo it. I underestimate all the work I put into planning, cooking, cleaning, and visiting with family. My biggest problem is that I don’t say “no” enough. Do you want more pie? YES! Do you want to go shopping at 11PM at Target? YES! Do you want MORE pie? YES! I need to say “NO” more often.

We wound up at Target in Germantown around 11PM on Thanksgiving. There was nowhere to park. We drove around a while looking for a spot. After driving up and down the rows of cars for ten minutes, we finally got a spot and almost ran over a group of kids in the process. There were crowds of people everywhere. People were rushing in, people were rushing out. Some people had bags of stuff, other people left without anything. The store was packed with televisions and Hello Kitty blankets. I looked around at different things, but nothing I wanted was on sale.

When we entered the store we immediately noticed the long line to check out. One person from our group got in line right away while the others went to shop. (He came along for a different store.) When I went to join him he was carrying a few items. You can’t wait in the line to check out if you don’t have any items. So, along the way he picked up a few things that other people left behind. We picked up so many DVDs and video games in line it was funny! We didn’t purchase all of them, but we did leave with four seasons of the Big Bang Theory. Score!

Blk Friday Shopping (Medium) — Black Friday Shopping at Target

Though I overdid it on Thanksgiving and wore myself out, I am fully recharged and happily in the Christmas spirit! I have been listening to my favorite Christmas CD, “A Winter’s Night: The Best of Nettwerk Christmas”. My sister gave the CD to me for Christmas one year when I asked for it on my list. I REALLY wanted the CD because it has “Christmas Day” by Dido, on it.

Favorite Christmas CD1 (Medium) — My Favorite Christmas CD

Now I need to get a tree and decorate, and bake some cookies, and finish Christmas shopping, and, and, and….!

Have a great day!

Missie

Foggy Day before Thanksgiving

November 21, 2012adminLeave a comment

We woke up to a foggy Wisconsin morning. It’s been abnormally warm this year. The last few days the temperature has been in the 50’s. It cools down into the 30’s over night, but warms up quickly when the sun comes up. So, for now we get fog. Tomorrow we are to reach 60F and on Black Friday 36F.

Foggy Day (Medium) — Foggy Day in West Bend, Wisconsin

I don’t mind driving in snow and thunderstorms, but I hate driving in fog. Ten years ago not far from where I live there was a terrible accident that killed 10 people and injured 40. It was a huge car pile-up due to fog. No one could see to stop. It was terrible just watching it on the news. I felt so bad for the crash victims and their families. When my husband left for work I made him promise to text me when he got there. (“I-43 crash, 10 years later” story)

On a happier note, I am so excited about Thanksgiving tomorrow! We are hosting 12 people at our condo and so far everything is going smoothly. I have had more time to plan since I am not working full time at a regular job. (I do work hard for giggleFritz and Co, but it’s MY time!) The 21lb turkey has been thawing in the refrigerator since Friday evening. I made a large batch of turkey gravy on Sunday and froze it. It is now thawing in the refrigerator with the turkey. I just have to put it in a crock pot, plug it in, and not worry about having enough or if it turned out to thick or thin. Other than veggies and Jello, my family is bringing the rest. I just need to do a little more house cleaning today and we are good to go!

Autumn Mantel (Medium) — Our Autumn Mantel

Thanks Plaque (Medium) — Thank you, Lord!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

~Missie

Post St. Ann’s Holiday Craft Fair Report

November 12, 2012adminLeave a comment

This past Saturday I had the gFritz booth open in the St. Ann’s Holiday Gift Fair in Stoughton, Wisconsin. It was a great craft fair! It was a smaller venue, but I still sold a decent amount and talked to some wonderful people. Colette Vitiritti of Willow Works was there with her mom and brother. She makes beautiful jewelry! I traded with her back in August: a striped sock monkey for a beautiful green necklace and pair of earrings. They were in the booth next to me. It was great seeing them again!

I also got the chance to meet Bonnie Wanta of Bonnie’s Cottage Boutique. Bonnie came over and talked for a little bit. I had to tell her my sister and I love her children’s capes she had displayed at her booth. They were so adorable! Check them out and other neat things she makes in her Etsy shop. It was great to talk with her about her business and selling in general. There were other really nice people at this event. I will be back next year if they’ll have me!

Now I am off to do business-y things, but before I go, I leave you with my good friend Socky Claus. I took some time and did something Christmas-y last week to divert for a little while. He needs some work, but I like him. Hope you do too!

Big girl pants on, let’s go! 😀

~Missie

Ill but not Absent

November 8, 2012adminLeave a comment

Two days until St. Ann’s Holiday Gift Fair. I would be far more excited if I weren’t coming down with a cold. I have had a headache for three days now. Ibuprofen is dulling the pain, but it is still there. It makes getting ready for a craft fair not very enjoyable. To help keep my spirits up I have been listening to Christmas music on Pandora. No, it’s not too early for Christmas music. I really love it!

Stay healthy!

~Missie

Election Day

November 6, 2012adminLeave a comment

I Sure Did!

~ Missie