Trip to Helen, GA: Way Out of Proportion

A 6 foot soldier!

Ho! Ho! Ho! This Santa was a whopping 8 feet tall!!! Talk about intimidating! ; )

Homemade Donuts

I can't recall where I got this recipe from, but I've been making these for several years now. They are incredible easy and won't last long!!!

vegetable oil for frying
1 package of 10-count buttermilk biscuits (one single package of the store brand 4-pack)
2 cups powdered sugar
small brown paper bag

Heat up oil to medium/high heat. While oil is heating remove biscuits from their package and put your finger through the middle of each one to make a donut hole. Set aside. Put powdered sugar into a brown paper bag. Put 2-4 biscuits into oil. After about 30 seconds flip them. Once golden brown remove from pot and place in paper bag. Close bag and shake. Put donuts on a plate. Repeat until all donuts are prepared. Serve warm.

*You could make a chocolate syrup to drizzle over these if you feel like it. Either way they are yummy!

Trip to Helen, GA: Wacky Stuff

Umm, no we did not go in!

Some clowns just clowning around!

Trip to Helen, GA: Us

Last night we decided we wanted to go have some fun this weekend and decided to head to Helen, GA. It is a quaint little German-themed town about 2 hours north of Atlanta. During Christmas it's all decked out with decorations and Christmas-themed products. It was in the 40's most of the day, but we still had lots of fun. Look for posts in the coming days featuring some of the things we saw while we were there. In the meantime, here's a pic of us that we took (sorry it's a little blurry!).

Paper Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

How adorable are these DIY Christmas Trees? They are simply made from construction paper and a child's decorating imagination. Click here to read more from the blogger who's family created these!

50% Off Sale at Kroger Today ONLY

Kelly's Mac & Cheese

My best friend, Kelly and I love to exchange recipes. She's been making this version (a mix of several recipes she's found over time) for a while now and I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you guys.

1 egg
1 stick butter
1 can evaporated milk
8 oz. sharp Cheddar, shredded
8 oz. mild Cheddar, shredded
8 oz. Velveeta crumbles
16 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Stir in cheeses and mix thoroughly to cover all the cheeses with the milk mixture. Dice the stick of butter and place on top of cheese mixture. Pour macaroni into cheese mixture and combine. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Inflatable Scrooge

There are few things in this world that I hate, however there are many things I dislike. For the record, I hate inflatable holiday decorations. Several years ago some crazy person decided this was the wave of the future and created these horrible creatures just to drive me crazy every holiday season! There is one house up the road from us who happens to sport 4 of these bad boys in her yard every December. I’ll admit there have been times when I’ve purposely driven out of my way just to not have to pass her home. To the person who invented these holiday menaces, “Why?”

Chicken Carbonara

You could also call this recipe Heaven on a Plate!!! It's EXTREMELY easy to throw together and tastes so scrumptious.

1 package (7 oz.) spaghetti

8 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped (I like 2 cloves in mine)

2 cups shredded chicken (could use turkey)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

Cook and drain pasta. While spaghetti is cooking, cook bacon and drain well. Reserve 1 tbsp of bacon grease in pan. Cook onion and garlic in bacon grease until tender. Stir in chicken, cheese, cream and pasta. Stir occasionally until everything is heated through. Add bacon and toss. Serve immediately.

Tara's Tips

Just realized you’re out of liquid fabric softener? Add 2 capfuls of hair conditioner to the rinse cycle.

Need something to hold all of those magazines you subscribe to? Reuse cereal boxes by using them as magazine holders. Cut the top at an angle and decorate. One box usually holds a full year worth of magazines!

Want to save on glass cleaner? I simply use a half gallon of hot water with a few drops of a grease cutting dish liquid added to it. Use a cloth in the water, wring out and wipe surface, then dry with a paper towel or dry cloth. I never have trouble with streaks and it shines beautifully.

Got a small amount of shampoo left in the bottle? Clean your makeup tools. Because shampoos are gentle, they make a great brush and applicator cleanser.

Got egg shells? Instead of throwing those eggs shells away, put them in the bottom of plant pots instead of stones. They are much lighter than stones and they are full of nutrition for your plants.

Weekend Breakfast Casserole

I made this recipe earlier in the year and when I saw it featured in my latest copy of Food Network magazine I knew I needed to share it with you guys. It's out-of-this-world!

1 lb. bulk sausage
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (could use Cheddar)
1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Crumble and cook sausage in medium skillet over medium heat until browned. Drain. Line bottom of greased 13x9 baking dish with crescent roll dough, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Sprinkle with sausage and cheese. Combine remaining ingredients in bowl until blended; pour over sausage. Bake 15 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares; serve hot. 6-8 servings.

My Newest Obsession

For about 2 months now I have become addicted to entering contests. Now, I've entered several blog contests in the past few years and won here and there. Well readers, I have now gone global! LOL! I am entering about 50 contests a day!!! How do I find all of these? Easy. Basically a lot of the magazines I read offer contests through their websites, tons of my twitter friends "tweet" about blog contests every day and then there's my mom who has recently joined in on my obsession as well and scours the net in her spare time finding things for both of us to enter. I have to say, it's a lot of fun! Click here to get yourself started!

Go DAWGS!

It's almost 8pm so I've got to get my red, black and white on to watch the UGA Bulldogs take on the GT Yellow Jackets, but I couldn't resist posting a link to this adorable little cookie jar from Walmart.com!

Amazon.com Magazine Deals

If you hurry over to Amazon.com you can score Real Simple and Southern Living magazines for just $5 for a one-year subscription. I got one of each. They also have several others for 5 bucks as well! Click here to find out more!

Black Friday 2009

It’s 11:36am as I type this and boy am I tired! Somehow I let my husband talk me into going with him to do shopping this morning. I must be crazy! I could be the only woman on the planet who hates shopping, combine that with the craziness that is Black Friday and it doesn’t make for a great time. Yes, we got some deals, but I think it’s going to take all weekend for me to recover. I told my husband to NEVER count on me again for BF shopping unless we’re getting a big-ticket item like a TV because I am retired!

It amazed me just how many people were shopping. The shoving and the complete disregard for kindness just really isn’t my cup of tea! I imagine a lot of people are “desperate” this year due to the economy, but you know, that really is no reason to ransack a store and be rude.

So what did we buy?

Small vacuum for $9 from Target (we love these little vacuums because they work great on non-carpeted flooring!)

White dish set for $18 from Wal-Mart (it comes with 6 full place settings as well as a serving platter and serving bowl)

100 pack of recordable DVD’s for $15 from Office Max

Happy Thanksgiving

Since today is Thanksgiving I find in only fitting that I let you know what I’m thankful for this year. 2009 has been filled with so much uncertainty due to the loss of my husband’s job, the emergency surgery I had back in early February (not to mention the year recovery it came with) and the eventual move to live with my parents back in September. Throughout it all we have had very supportive family members and friends. Despite everything we are so thankful for the blessings God has given us and for the continued faith we have that 2010 will be a great year for us.

Holiday Meatballs

If you're looking for a recipe that will feed a crowd and is super easy to make then look no further than these Holiday Meatballs!

1 giant bag of frozen meatballs (Sam's Club)

2 (14 oz. each) cans of Jellied Cranberry Sauce

2 (12 oz. each) Chili Sauce

Pour all ingredients into a large crockpot. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Be sure to put out toothpicks to let your guests serve themselves.

Holiday Smokies

This is one of those recipes my family enjoys year after year. I have made it for numerous holiday parties to rave reviews.

1 giant bag of lil' smokies (Sam's Club)

2 (12 oz.) jars of Chili Sauce

2 (12 oz.) jars of Grape Jelly

Drain the juice from the lil' smokies and discard. Pour everything into a large crockpot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. This recipes serves a crowd. Make sure to put out some toothpicks so your guests can help themselves.

Tara's Tips

Have trouble getting water to flow through your household pipes quickly? Here’s an easy recipe to keep those pipes clean: 1 cup vinegar, ½ cup baking soda and 3 cups boiling water. Just pour it down your kitchen and bathroom sinks once a week.

Got tons of holes left in your walls from nails? Just fill each hole with a small squirt of white toothpaste. Wipe away excess paste and let dry for 2 hours. Now your walls are prepped for painting.

Do you color your own hair? Rub Chapstick around your hairline on your forehead and sides and then color hair as usual. The Chapstick will keep the color from staining your skin.

Just realized you’re out of furniture cleaner? No worries. You can make your own cleaner by combining 1 cup vegetable oil with ½ cup lemon juice (the kind in the green bottle).

Got a dog that constantly scratches its ears? If you have ruled out an ear infection or other skin problem then have I got a trick for you! Dip a soft cloth into a container filled with 1 tbsp vinegar and ½ cup water. Gently rub cloth on dogs ears both front and back. You can do this up to 2 times a day.

DIY Pilgrim Hat

How cute is this little pilgrim hat?!? It would be a great craft project for your kids or even something you could do yourself. If you wrote each of your guest's names on a hat you could use is it as a place card (and take-home favor) at each table setting for Thanksgiving. Click here for the tutorial!