The Deep Fried Snickers

That is a deep fried Snickers bar. Covered and smothered in powdered sugar. I have heard about deep fried candy bars, Oreo's, Twinkies,etc. for a long time, seen them on food network shows and heard that they were sold at the fair, but I had never tried one. That was until a few weeks ago when me, my mom, sister and grandmother went on an "all girl adventure" to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. So when I saw that this little shop in Gatlinburg made these, I passed up my beloved funnel cake and got a deep fried Snickers instead.(Didn't care about all those calories. I was on a trip!!) I guess just to try it and see if it was all it was made out to be. Well, it wasn't. Not to me anyway. It was okay at best. I mean after all it is a candy bar that had been drenched in batter and put in a deep fryer. That just sounds wrong. Oh well. Anyway, it was super rich so I didn't (couldn't) eat all of it.It still had that Snickers, nougat/peanut taste, but something was just off. Maybe if I'd had a tall glass of milk. I think the Milky Way would have been a better choice. More gooey and caramel. Mmmm! So that is my review of a deep fried Snickers. I'm sure everyone out there was waiting for that! LOL!!!

My Costco Fall Wreath

It's beginning to feel a little more like fall. Especially this morning. It was a chilly at our house. It felt so good, like fall weather. I've mentioned before that it is my favorite season. I love to see everyone's scarecrows, pumpkins, mums and fall decor out. Makes me feel all warm and cozy. I was getting ready to put out some of my own fall decor last week and when I was in Costco I found this gorgeous fall wreath marked down. It was originally $21.00 marked down to $12.90. Now, sometimes I debate and talk myself out of stuff like this(which is good too), but my old fall door hanging is so old and ugly, so I grabbed this baby up. Sometimes when I talk myself out of stuff, I change my mind and go back only to find it's gone already. So their was no debating. Get it. Go! Yay! This wreath is big and fall and pretty! By the way, I usually find more markdowns at Costco(you know the ones they roll out on the orange flat beds into the middle of the aisles)on weekday mornings.This find happened to be on a Tuesday morning. Maybe it's not like this at all the Costco's, but seems to be the pattern at mine. Be on the lookout!

Fruit Chillers Tubes- A New Favorite

Want something cold to snack on? Grab a Del Monte Fruit Chiller tube.Just freeze 'em and eat 'em. These tubes have become a favorite of myself and my kids.They are a great alternative to a plain old popsicle. They are made with real fruit and taste delicious. I discovered them a few months ago when I was strolling down the canned fruit aisle in the grocery store and decided to try them. They have become a regular on my grocery list. We are a fan of both flavors that are available, strawberry and grape, although I think the kids really prefer grape over strawberry. Try them and see if they satisfy your cold cravings!

Gotta Love A Bargain

Just thought I'd share the bargains I found at Hobby Lobby recently. I get excited when I can get something I've been looking for at such a great price. When I was in there recently,(I'm a frequent visitor of HL)I was strolling their 80% off clearance section and spotted these two great black finials.(cue the hallelujah music) They were screamin' buy me. The larger one was$5 and the smaller one $2, which is great compared to what they were, so I got 'em! I just love the look of them, especially the larger one. They go great with the other black accents I have in my home and there's quite a few places I could use them so they might get moved around.



The large iron key, key hole and decorative knob were just at the HL 50% sale, which if you miss what you want on sale one week, check again the next week because as we HL shoppers know there stuff always goes on sale at 50% off. I was still happy to get it at that price because I had been wanting to use this great little set of iron keys (think they came from Rod Works in Utah) in a grouping. I've searched HL's signs for a small one that's just right to go with this, but can't find one, so I think I might make my own. We'll see. Just remember to get out there and shop those clearances. You never know what you might find.

Celebrate Magazine

Last week I picked up the fall issue of Celebrate magazine from Phyllis Hoffman.(Sorry no pic.) She is also the publisher of Southern Lady magazine and entertaining guru. If you read my blog at all, you know I am a sucker for magazines. I usually get mounds of them from my sister. After seeing this mag previewed in Paula Deen's magazine, I knew I wanted it. It features some great tailgating recipes for the upcoming football season, great entertaining ideas and my favorite, fun recipes and fun touches for Halloween. She has some of the cutest ideas.Who knows, maybe this year I'll actually have a Halloween party. If you like getting new recipes and fun ideas to "dress up" everyday things, grab this magazine while you can.

Cotton Candy Shirley Temple

Thirsty? How about a Cotton Candy Shirley Temple.

My kids got to order this cute little drink a couple weeks ago courtesy of their Nana & Grand dad when we were eating at O'Charley's restaurant. They thought these were just the greatest things ever. Can we say - SUGAR! I have to agree they are cute and taste pretty good, too. I decided to recreate it at home because it's soooo simple. However, this is not something I would make very often just now and again to surprise them. You know the whole sugar factor thing. Anyway, just pour up some sprite or 7-up and top it with a mound of cotton candy and stick in a straw. You're done! I think my kids liked eating the cotton candy off the top and stirring in just a little of the cotton candy. Try it and see what you think.

A New Kids Cookbook

Wow! I haven't posted anything in a while. I guess the summer and kids being out of school is just keeping me busy, busy, busy. I've missed blogging because I do enjoy it. I've also been a little behind on visiting a lot of my favorite fellow bloggers, but I'll visit ya soon!

Today I am back with a new fun find to share with you. The kids and I were in Costco the other day and I spotted this Southern Living Kids Cookbook. I flipped through it and spotted some recipes I thought we'd like to try, so I got it. I am a sucker for cookbooks. I'll add it to the collection.

We can't wait to try some of these recipes. Their are sections for snacks, bread, eggs and cheese, sweets, main course and more. We hope to share some of this book's recipes with you soon as well as some others we have tried recently, so come back this week for some fun and easy recipes!

Thrifty Shopping

Don't you love a bargain? I sure do! That's why I make a point of visiting my local Faith Rescue Mission Thrift Store. It's always an adventure each time I go because they get new things in daily, so you just never know what you'll find. I wouldn't really say I'm a regular there, but I try to make it in a couple times a month. I've found great prices on shoes for our youngest daughter, cute little glass ice cream cups, books, etc. This time did not disappoint. I left with a Guess Who game in great condition for $1, a Scattergories game, which I've been wanting, for $.99, the Dr. Seuss book Hop On Pop for around $.30 and a pair of real Crocs for my son, not generic(which I don't mind either) for $2.95. So for $5 and some change I got everything in that picture. Yeah baby! That's what I'm talkin' about! Try your local thrift store or Goodwill and see what deals you find!

New Favorites

Okay, so I make no secret about it. I like to eat. However, since starting Weight Watchers last year I've had to make a few changes in what I eat. That being said, I have two new favorite snacks to share with you. They aren't necessarily the healthiest snacks, but are low in points.



First, Pirates Booty. Arrrr! It's very good!(say that in your best pirate voice) I've seen this before on one of the Food Network shows, but I never see it in stores down here in the south except at Costco once before. When we were in Costco last week I spotted it again and got it this time. I'm glad I did. Everyone in my family loves this stuff. It's not totally bad for you either. Everything in moderation, right. You can have 1 oz. for 3 pts.




My second new favorite is Diet A&W. Let me just say that I never, ne-ver drink diet sodas. I would rather just drink water. Can't stand the taste. However, one day I was at a friend's house and we were eating sub sandwiches and she brought me an ice cold Diet A&W and said that she couldn't even tell it was diet. So I gave it a try and she was right. I really like these now. I buy them in cans and keep a few in the fridge for when I have that soda craving, which is usually once a day. I will say they are best ice cold in the can rather than out of a bottle poured over ice. Don't know why, but I can taste that difference. Give these snacks a try and see what you think.

Givin' Props and Fun Finds

First up, I want to give some big props to a couple fabulous places I was taken to while in Utah. I had lunch at the charming Flour Girls & Dough Boys. This is a great little bakery and cafe in Lehi,(I think). My food was absolutely delicious and the atmosphere great. The homemade cookie I had for dessert..... YUM! If you're ever around there, go grab some lunch. Great place Tammy. Thanks for taking me there.

I can't forget another great shop I visited in American Fork, Tammi's Finders Keepers. It's a little store set up with great decor and furniture that has been refurbished. Loved it! I found a lot of things there,but you know how it is when you travel. You're limited with suitcases. I did pick up a couple fun finds for the girls' room. Isn't this pillow just so cute! And the finials. The colors are perfect. I can't wait to get to work on their room.

A New Magazine Discovery

The last couple days have been busy, busy, busy for me, so I haven't posted. However, today I have a few minutes. I thought I would share my latest fun find with you. I discovered the premiere issue of Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade a little while back after my sister visited and brought down a stack of magazines for me. I enjoy her show on Food Network, so I thought the magazine would be good , too. I was right. She has a little bit of everything in it as you can see from the cover. So many recipes, but also craft ideas, decor tips and more. I'll definitely be looking for the next issue.

Works For Me Wednesday- Foam Cookware Protectors

Rocks in my Dryer hosts a Works for Me Wednesday, so I thought I'd join in the fun! Check it out for some good tips and fun stuff! Thanks to Heidi for posting about WFMW, or I would have never known about it!



I want to share a tip I learned about not too long ago. A lady from my church told me about it when I saw her in a craft store one day. Go figure, me at a craft store. I visit them frequently! Anyway, she told me that her daughter uses foam craft pieces as pan protectors. I thought that was awesome since I'm always scrounging up some funky piece of cardboard to go between my pots and pans, which never really fits right. You can buy special protectors, but the ones I've priced are pretty expensive. I got a pack of foam circles for about $4.50. I didn't use all of them, so I can use the rest for crafts. Can't beat that!

The foam pieces come in different shapes, so you could use whatever you like. I chose circles. However, I couldn't find the really thick pieces of foam, so I adhered 2 of them together with sticky strip to make them a bit thicker. You could probably use glue dots or hot glue as well. I think they work best for saute pans. They will go between my bigger sauce pans, but not the small ones.Guess I should just cut them in half. I invested in a nice set of cookware, so I want to keep it in good shape. This is an inexpensive way to protect your pans from getting all scratched up. Try it!

Nope, that's not a purple pancake. It's the foam in between my pans.

A Tasty Snack

I know, more food today. Yesterday I mentioned that I started Weight Watchers back in the beginning of November and have loved it. (No. I don't mind telling everyone out in blog land that.) I also said yesterday that I would share one of my favorite snacks today that is only 3 WW points. Here it is! Wheat Thins Fiber Selects Garden Vegetable crackers and 1 wedge of Light Garlic & Herb Laughing Cow cheese. A serving of crackers is 14 of them. Only 2 points for those and 1 wedge of the cheese is 1 point. This is what I grab when I am really wanting cheese. I think it's very good. Try it and find out. If you have a favorite low points snack, let me know by leaving a comment. I'd love to hear it!

Gimme Some Kisses!

Hot Cocoa Kisses that is! I discovered these little babies when a friend from church gave me a cup of little treats to say thanks for teaching her kids. Can we get a -yum! yum! Now, don't get me wrong, they don't compare to my all time favorite kiss which is coconut. But they're up there on my list. I let the kids and my husband try one out of my cup of treats and then confiscated the rest. By the way, they all agreed that Hot Cocoa Kisses rock! They are chocolatey, cocoa, creamy goodness. We all liked them so much, I thought I'd get some more. Well, I thought wrong. I looked everywhere, Wal-Mart, Target, Winn-Dixie, Publix and NO HC Kisses! When I was just about to give up, I spotted them. Just strolling along in the dollar store and there they were! With a few of these little bags in my cart, I was set. If you come across these, give them a shot. With all my posts about cookies, cakes and goodies, it looks like I'm a choc-o-holic, but I'm actually not. Well, not anymore. I try to limit myself to just a bite to satisfy my sweet tooth. At the beginning of Nov., I joined Weight Watchers to just get more motivation to lose some extra pounds and to just be healthier and more fit. I love it! The points system is great and keeps me on track. I also work out everyday except Sunday now. Yeah! Anyway, tomorrow I will share one of my fave snacks that is only 3 WW points and it gives me my cheese fix as well.

Of All The Things At Lowes

Today I want to share a fantastic magazine that I found at, of all places, Lowes. One night as I made a quick run to our local Lowes home improvement store, I was browsing through their magazine rack and spotted this one. I had never seen a Parties magazine before so I thought it deserved a look. It is packed with great recipes for different events. Tailgate parties, weddings, brunch, etc. I've already tried some of them out and they were great! The other thing I liked about this mag is that it gives several entertaining ideas. It has place settings, favors, and centerpieces galore. My fun find has already gotten many reads and I'm sure I'll be referencing it in the future. So, the next time your in Lowes and drills and lumber just aren't your thing, mosey on over to the magazine rack and see what you can find.