We still have donations coming in following Monday's SPCA of Texas Bake Sale, so I'm not telling you yet how much money we were blessed to collect!  Maybe by the weekend I can let the cat out of the bag.  Not that I would ever put a cat in a bag; that wouldn't be very humane.  Unless I had to do that to get the cat out of a dangerous situation and couldn't do it any other way.  ^..^  Do I have a touch of rambling Christmas delirium?  Think so.

I also have some recipes that you have to make if you're trying to figure out what to bake for Christmas!  These were my favorite things to make for the bake sale, but it occurred to me that they are also awesome things to make for Christmas gifts.  I'm not burned out on baking yet – weird, I know – so I may make more of these before we hit the new year since we had nothing left after Monday's sale!  I would feel comfortable mailing all of these except for the Snowballs.  They're a little fragile so keep them at home.

• Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies: plain, with mint Oreos, or with chocolate chips and walnuts.  I know I talk about these ALL of the time, but they're my favorite brownies and I love them.  We sell the HECK out of them at bake sales.  Not because of my baking prowess, but because it's an awesome recipe!

• Vegan Pumpkin Bread: no one believes there are no eggs or dairy in this bread.  It's moist and flavorful, and absolutely one of my favorites.  I have to add walnuts.  Have to.

• Fudge: chocolate, cinnamon and peanut butter.  Just use the regular fudge recipe on the marshmallow cream jar, and substitute cinnamon chips and peanut butter chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I like to pour the fudge into little silicone molds with Christmas shapes.  When they're cool and set, you can easily unmold them, sprinkle with sparkling sugar (brown on gingerbread boys, green on Christmas trees, and red on stockings).  For a final touch, add some royal icing accents here and there.  For the sale, I packaged them two different shapes to a treat bag: one chocolate and one cinnamon or PB.

• Pecan Pie Bars with Chocolate and Bourbon from the Pastry Queen: these got a little oozy, but they were fudgey and boozy, so who the heck cared?  Nobody!  I love the original flavor of these, and was shocked that I loved this over-the-top variation even more.  Wicked!

• Chocolate Mint Snowballs: based on RecipeGirl's Snowballs. I used mint chips and pecans instead of peanut butter chips and peanuts.  Roll these in green sugar and powdered sugar, and pack in a cute treat bag with a ribbon, or a box with a window so you can peek at them.

Happy baking, little kitchen elves!

~BigSis

Posted under Holidays

Have you been really disciplined with your New Year's resolutions and want to reward yourself?  Maybe you've already lost a couple of pounds and need a non-food treat?  How about getting yourself a Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System!

I've mentioned before that I'm not an early-adopter.  I've only had an iPod for a year, an iPhone for a few months, a Wii for a couple of weeks, and I've yet to buy a blu-ray player.  My television is over 20 years old and weighs as much as I do.  Oh yeah, and my car will be 10 years old in a couple of months.  With all that in mind, I'm sure it doesn't surprise you that I've been hearing about the Clarisonic for over a year and just now got one.

Why did I wait so long!  My skin is already dramatically different in only two weeks of using the Clarisonic:

• It feels much much cleaner deep down, and clogged pores are becoming clearer

• It's radically smoother in texture

• The color is healthy

• Pores look smaller

• It feels firmer!

I noticed some of these benefits immediately, and I continue to be pleased with the cumulative improvement I see in my skin, which is a pretty big deal for me.  I've never had pretty skin in my life.  I started making weekly trips to the dermatologist when my skin started breaking out at age 12.  In my early 20s, I was one of the first people to use Accutane, but by then I had scarring that really bothered me.  In late 2007, I had 6 Fraxel laser treatments at a cost of well over $5000.  By the way, I have a high tolerance to pain, but that was the most painful thing I've ever experienced.  Thankfully, I did see substantial improvement in my skin's texture and scarring was reduced somewhat.

But even so, I'm still not happy with my skin and I'll always be looking for ways to improve it.  The Clarisonic is an excellent tool, and it cost much less than $5000!  I got mine for $225 through QVC because their deal came with some extra goodies like cleansers and additional brush heads.  The model I got comes with a brush for your body, as well as 3 facial brushes.  You can also buy the Clarisonic through Amazon, Ulta, Sephora, and probably lots of other retailers.

I highly recommend the Clarisonic…don't wait forever like I did!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Week three in the Ten in 10 Challenge was a good week for me. I feel good; and basically that's what this challenge is all about; making 2010 a healthy and happy year. Here are a few things I learned this past week.

• Before this challenge started, I had a pretty good workout routine, but never had it in writing. Some days I would walk and some days I would go to the gym, but always at different times of the day; whenever I could squeeze it in. Now, I've discovered that I really like having my weekly exercise plan written down. I know what I'm doing that morning and I know what time I'm doing it. And, it was pretty easy to stick to it. I just had to organize my work schedule around my exercise schedule. (Luckily, I'm able to do that right now.)

• It's really interesting to try different yoga classes and experience different instructors' styles. In my class at the Y on Monday, the instructor taught us how to incorporate the use of a tall rattan pole into our practice. Last week, he used straps. Not knowing what to expect in his class makes it more fun! Then on Friday, I was a little disappointed when I saw a sub come into the classroom. I was thinking to myself, is she going to be any good? (Be careful what you think to yourself.) I could barely keep up! She was harder and faster than our normal instructor. I thoroughly got my fanny kicked that day!

• I'm really happy about getting back into the routine of making my meal plan for the week, writing it down and doing all the shopping on Sunday. It's made life a little less hectic when it comes time for dinner. And, I really like keeping my food log. I wasn't sure if I could stick to it, but this little fitbook is really making it fun and easy to do. I love being able to give myself a happy face when I've had a healthy meal.

• My family really loves brussel sprouts! I've tried a different recipe each week and they love them! Yay! Another green veggie to add to our weekly menu. I had a little obsession about having to eat something green with every meal.

• I finally found a White Turkey Chili Recipe that my guys love. I'll share the recipe with you later this week.

• I actually can survive on the “no beer during the week” rule.

I feel like I lost at least a pound this week, but chose not to get on the scale yesterday. I know myself well enough to know that during this time of the month, the scale is usually up three pounds. (Sorry if that's too much info.) I didn't want to get discouraged, so I'll get back on the silly scale next Friday.

I've tried really hard to keep negativity away from me this week. I had a little unwanted drama try to creep in this week, but I finally had to set a boundary and tell that person that I can't talk to them right now. I have to surround myself with positive people and positive energy this year. We've got a lot of changes going on with our business and I'm  trying to launch something new which is requiring a lot of time learning some things outside of my comfort zone. In order to be as productive as possible, I've decided that I just don't have time for negative people in my life.

I hope everyone had a happy, successful week! I'm looking forward to week four and to reading all the updates from other participants. Even if you aren't doing a weekly update on your blog, I'd love to hear from you. So, leave me a comment and let me know about your week!

~LilSis

Posted under Health

The Ten in '10 Healthy Challenge officially began on January 2, 2010 so in just a couple of days it will be a month since I started the challenge. I weighed in yesterday and I've lost a total of 6 pounds in the four weeks so I'm feeling pretty good. Not a lot has changed since my update last week, I'm just really trying hard to stay focused and keep myself motivated.

Here are a few things that have really helped me stay on track.

• Writing down my weekly workout plan and keeping my food log every day.

• Getting up earlier, having breakfast earlier and doing my workout first thing in the morning.

• Planning meals for the week and doing all the grocery shopping on Sunday.

• Always keeping healthy snacks on hand! (I've actually had to start hiding a few things so the guys don't gobble them up.)

This past week, I started getting a little bored with the same elliptical machine that I had been using and I knew I wasn't getting as good a workout as I could so I broke out of my comfort zone and tried a new machine. If you happen to see one of these Matrix Elliptical Cross Trainers at your gym, hop on it and see what you think.

This machine will kick your fanny, but I absolutely love it! 🙂

You have all sorts of different programs to chose from, but so far I like the Fat Burner a lot and the Glute Training is my favorite.  It feels like a stair climber but is much easier on the knees.

This machine really boosted my cardio workout this week!

I think what I learned last week is that if you're getting bored with your workout, then just change things up! I know if I'm getting bored, then the bottom line is that I'm not getting a great workout. Since I'm in the gym five days out of the week, I always go for a really long walk by the beach on Saturday just for a change of scenery.

This next week is probably going to be my toughest challenge yet. I'm leaving on Tuesday to go to Texas and I'll be there for a week visiting family and friends. Typically during my week long visits, we go to our favorite Mexican food restaurants a few times.

I'll definitely give myself a treat or two, but it's going to take a lot of willpower to not overindulge. If I'm not careful, I could easily gain back six pounds in a week of eating tacos, nachos, tortilla soup, chips, salsa, and freshly made guacamole. And, of course, the meal isn't complete without a really cold Dos Equis. 🙂

~LilSis

Posted under Health

Time flies when you're having fun, right? 🙂

It doesn't really seem like it's been six weeks since I started the Ten in 10 Healthy Challenge. It's been a really good thing for me; I've been more focused and more motivated than ever before. Those nasty ten pounds that crept onto my body during my time in “the boot” last Spring have refused to budge until now! (Oops! I think I said that I wouldn't mention that again.)

Here are some positive things that happened this past week:

• I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my family while in Texas.

• I got to see my BFF, K on my visit. (We've been BFF's since 7th grade.)

• I was able to get in good workouts while on my trip. (Which I don't always make a high priority on my visits.)

• I managed to maintain my weight, despite a great meal at each of my three favorite Mexican restaurants and two amazing dinners at my new favorite Greek spot in Dallas.

I worked out really hard every day after returning home from my trip so I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little disappointed to not to see the scale go down a pound or two when I weighed in yesterday. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, though, because I'm just grateful that it didn't go up.

Not that it has anything to do with this challenge but the best part of this past week was having some ‘one on one' time with my oldest son, BigT. I don't think I've mentioned it here on BigSisLilSis yet, but he leaves in nine days for Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois to begin his Basic Training. I won't be able to speak to him or see him for two months so I'm really grateful that I was able to make the trip to spend some quality time with him before he ships out. We're proud of ya, BigT!

And a HUGE thanks goes to BigSis for taking such good care of him and letting him stay with her during this interim period!

~LilSis

Posted under Health

I know that sounds corny, but it's a pretty emotional day for me. Even though he is 25 years old, he's still my little boy and I know all you moms out there know what I mean when I say that.

This seems like it was just yesterday.

(Before I say more, I made a decision today to change BigT's blog nickname. All our other kids blog nicknames are their real nicknames. We chose BigT back when we started this blog because a neighbor had nicknamed him that, but that's not what we call him. We call him Bry, so from now on, BigT is Bry here on BigSisLilSis.)

Our entire family has been waiting for this day, with much anticipation, for seven months now. Bry first started the process of joining the Navy way back in July of last year. He worked with a recruiter here in San Diego for several months and when she couldn't locate a job for him, he packed up his truck, moved to Texas, met a new Recruiter on his first day there, and started the process all over again. Looks like we'll be adorning our homes with navy flags in support!

Bry has never been real sure about which direction he wanted to take down the career path until now. Ever since he started talking about joining the Navy, he's seemed more sure about it than anything ever before. He's gone through a lot of red tape, gotten into the best physical shape of his life, and is more focused and motivated than I've ever seen him.

Even though I never really anticipated Bry being in the military, I always knew that he had a big heart and would do something great with his life. Now, he's going to help defend our country and I couldn't be more proud.

I'm on an emotional roller coaster today because I don't know when he's leaving Dallas or when he's arriving in Great Lakes, but I'll feel better once I talk to him tonight. He gets a 30-second phone call to let me know when he arrives, but after that I won't be able to speak to him for eight weeks. That's gonna be tough!

Today, I'm a really proud mom and a teary-eyed, lip quivering mess all at the same time!

Note from BigSis:

I know what you mean, LilSis, about being emotional! I remember that cute little blond guy like it was yesterday too. It was a rough weekend here, with Bry moving out of my place on Friday after spending 6 weeks with me, and then his send-off party on Saturday night. I'm totally proud of him for doing such a brave thing with his life, and I'm trying not to be selfishly mopey! To keep from going nuts with worry, I'm going to keep praying every day that God will surround him with a supernatural hedge of protection to keep him safe and well! I hope that our BigSisLilSis friends will join me in praying for him, and all of our military!

~LilSis

Posted under Family

Need an idea for a quick and easy, green and glowing cocktail for St. Patty's Day? If so, I think you'll like this one. It's super quick and easy and looks really festive served up in a nice martini glass. This cocktail is a little on the sweet side for me but it's always the hit of the party.

I've got just a teeny, tiny bit of Irish in the blood so maybe that's part of the reason why I enjoy putting on a fun-filled St. Patty's Day Party every year. SirHoney got the Irish genes from both his dad and mom so he's a little more fond of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes than I am, but I'll pacify him on this one day. I actually get to take a break from hosting the party this year.

One of my good friends is hosting the “shindig” at her house and she always throws a great party so I'll have to make a conscious effort to “behave” since it falls on a work night this year. I don't want to wake up Thursday morning with the “Glowing Gecko Cocktail” flu! (That could get ugly!)

I mentioned this cocktail last year when I talked about St. Patty's Day Party ideas and I've served the original Glowing Gecko recipe at a couple of my parties but I decided to adapt the recipe a bit this year. I'll be taking all the ‘fixins' to my neighbor's house so we can make this new version tomorrow night.

I'm not a big fan of rum and most of our friends aren't rum drinkers either, so I eliminated the rum. And since we all know that Sweet & Sour mix is loaded with calories, I eliminated that also. Here's my adapted concoction.

Glowing Gecko
(adapted from RecipeZaar)

2 oz. vodka
2 oz. Midori melon liqueur
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice or Rose's lime juice
1 oz. club soda

Combine first three ingredients with ice in a shaker. Shake and strain. Serve either straight up or over ice in a martini glass. Pour in club soda and garnish with lime.

Have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day!

~LilSis

Posted under Holidays

Did you ever meet anyone who didn't love brownies?  I haven't.  I think most people love them, like I do, even though I'm not even a sweets eater.  Monday's SPCA Bake Sale would certainly make that point.  We sold all of our brownies and bars, and we started out with quite a few of them, cut into big generous slabs!   Here's what we had:

• Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Oreo Brownies from Culinary in the Country.  These are as big and fat and thick and rich as they look!  Crackly on the top, moist and fudgy inside.  They make me happy. 😀

Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Oreo Brownie

Check out that Christmas Oreo red filling!

• Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts from Food Network. These actually sold out before the Oreo version, which surprised me.

Outrageous Brownie with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

• Caramel Bars from my recipe file.  They're full of caramel, oats, walnuts and chocolate chips. I need to post the recipe; they're so good and easy!

Caramel Bar

• Pecan Pie Bars from “The Pastry Queen” by Rebecca Rather.  Oh. So. Yummy.  That's all I can say.

• RazzMaTazz Bars ( I used cranberry jam instead of rapberry, so I guess these would be CranMaTazz Bars instead) from CookieMadness.net.  In addition to the jam, they have white chocolate and almonds. Very rich, delicious and pretty too!

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from the back of the chocolate chip package, or RecipeZaar.  These are a classic, and everyone loves them. Especially BDot!  I like them full of pecans, but not everyone is a nut-lover, so I left them out for the Bake Sale.

All of these beauties were sold, and I know we could have sold many more brownies.  Several people walked in the door asking, “Do you have any brownies?”  Alas, we had to break the hearts of these folks who came in after the last outrageous crumb went out the door.  Next time…even MORE brownies!

Do inquiring minds want to know how many bowls it takes to make a batch of outrageous brownies?  Check it out:

Outrageous mess for outrageous brownies!

I think it took 3 bowls (maybe 4) for these brownies, and let me tell you, they were worth it!  This is my new favorite brownie recipe.  Thanks, Ina!  As soon as I recover from this baking extravaganza, I'll be back with more details on how the SPCA Bake Sale turned out.  Meanwhile, make some friends…make some brownies!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals