NOvember

I can't believe that we are in the 2nd week on November!!!!!

November News:

• i went monthly shopping last Friday with no success. I finished at Sam's club, went to Walmart and it hit me my famous dizzy spell. I had only gotten my H&B and started to look at humidifiers and BAM I couldn't see, I was hot, and needed to get out fast. I made the decision to check out.... I have no problem with people that are on a tight budget and I am sure it was due to my spell that I became so annoyed she questioned every price not to be budget wise but to complain!! Any woo, I checked out went outside in the fresh air and started to feel better. It did not last as long as most spells. I feel it was related to my allergies. This year in NY it will be 30 on day and 70 the other.So now I need to find some extra time to finish up
• Bomb dropped that I may end up with 20+ people at Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. It's a family tradition (my dad's family) to come to my house and I love it. I don't find making a big meal is a big deal. This year like ever year we invited my husbands parents (usually they are out of town) to come over. When we saw them 2 weeks a go they mentioned that my husbands sibling's may be in town=+10. I love all of them dearly. I love all my nieces and nephews (we love kids) but I don't know if I have room. It is still in limbo. I just want to know what's going on. I love my family and I can't wait to Thanksgiving!
• 30 day challenge- not so good but not so bad. I work out 5 days a week. I mix it up so I don't get bored. I made a great chart on my calendar to let me see my accomplishments and I actually feel so much better and feel bad on my rest days. I know that my body needs my rest days and it works for my schedule. My rest days are Tuesdays and Saturday. I have lost about 3.5 pounds so far. I have been eating on track but I have cut portions and not eating snacks as much as I have been. Eating only when I am hungry. I am proud of the steps I am taking to gain control.
• out of town- this weekend I am headed to visit my grandma. I am excited, nervous, happy, sad. November 13 will mark ONE year since my grandpa passed away. This has been the toughest year of my life but also the most rewarding year of my life. It sounds crazy but I have made huge changes in my life and I am proud that I took a step back and started to focus on more on me. I know that my grandpa would be so proud of me. I have stepped in to help my family mourn the loss of a great man. I have stepped out of my comfort zone and done things that I didn't think I would. I have my days but they are not about the selfish reason like they were when he first passed. I miss him and I know he is my guardian angel and he is watching over me.
• Christmas shopping- hoping to take grandma to quilting store to shop for my mom's gifts then on the way home from my visit with grandma I will stop at the outlets. Last year i did 80% of my shopping at the outlets. Plan is to have 80% of my shopping done by 11/13! I don't have many to shop for my parents, grandma, husband, nephew and AP (she's almost done).
• Christmas decorations- this year for the first time I am going to start decorating in November for Christmas. I want to have winter decorations up for Thanksgiving. We always travel for Christmas and we are they only ones besides my dad that gets to see my Christmas decorations. I can't wait. I am going to out up my winter garlands, snow mans things that will fit in with Fall & winter.

Chicken bake

Printed from Cooks.com

Boneless, skinless chicken breast (enough to fill a 9"x13" baking dish {i used 3 big breast})
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (i used 1 can COM & 1 can cream of chicken)
Swiss cheese slices ( I used shredded cheese {4 cheese Italian})
1 box of Stove Top Stuffing (chicken flavor)
1 stick of butter

Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish. add mushroom soup (undiluted). next sprinkle cheese over chicken and soup. take one box of Stove Top stuffing mix the bread crumb and seasoning packet together in bowl (i used the canister so this stop was already done).pour over chicken. melt butter and pour over top. bake at 350 for 1 hour. if it starts to get to brown, cover with foil ( i covered mine 45 minutes into baking)

This is a suburb recipe. it's quick & easy. we have plenty of left overs and it tasted great reheated!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines!!!

One of my loves is decorating cakes.
I was asked to make a 5 year old boy race car cake. I had made a cake for him before as a race car cake so I wanted to do something a little different.

I baked 2 8 inch chocolate cakes and 2 8 inch yellow cakes. I placed cut the edge off on all 4 cakes and applied a layer of frosting in between the two cakes. I then butted the cake together.
I set them aside and started to make the track out of Oreo's. I don't like using black frosting it stains hands, teeth and is just a mess.

I used my electric mini food processor and crushed the Oreo's.

I then flat frosted the cake.

I placed two circle shaped bowls on the top and sprinkled the Oreo's on the top to make the top of the cake look like a track.

I placed his favorite race cars on the top of the cake and use a leaf tip and put some grass on the cake. Then with the writer tip I wrote Happy B-day and also put some blades of grass on the top as well. I used blue frosting to make a border around the top and there you have it.

This is an easy way to make it look like you spent hours in the kitchen!!!!