Thursday, August 6, 2009

Wish I was a Bathing Beauty...

Gingerbread Bathing Beauties!!

Aren't these the cutest?? I love GINGERBREAD and how perfect for the SUMMER!

Makes 15

  • 3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 1/3 cup (2 ounces) candy-coated chocolates
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted
  • 2 pints chocolate ice cream

Directions

  1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside. Put shortening and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
  2. Mix in egg. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in vinegar and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture until soft dough forms. Let stand at room temperature until slightly firm, 10 minutes.
  3. Divide dough into thirds. Roll 1 piece between 2 sheets of parchment paper to just over 1/8 inch thick.Transfer parchment and dough to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, stacking them on the same baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours (or chill in freezer 1 hour).
  4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer 1 sheet of dough on parchment to a lightly floured work surface. Peel off 1 layer of parchment, and then pat it back into place. Flip dough; peel away second sheet of parchment, and discard. Cut out shapes using a 4-inch gingerbread-man cookie cutter, transferring to parchment-lined baking sheets as you work. Roll out scraps; repeat.
  5. Bake cookies until edges are just browned, about 7 minutes. While cookies are warm, poke eyes and noses on half of them using the blunt end of a skewer. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough and scraps.
  6. Decorate the cookies that have faces with candies, using a small amount of melted chocolate to adhere them. Let ice cream stand at room temperature until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Spread 1/2-inch-thick layer of ice cream onto the underside of an undecorated cookie. Place a decorated cookie on top. Smooth edges using a knife or small spatula.Transfer to a baking sheet in freezer. Repeat with remaining cookies and ice cream. Freeze until set, about 1 hour, before serving.
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Just a quick post for today... I am SO tired!
My youngest started running a fever Tuesday night and was up EVERY HOUR! I think I slept maybe 3 hours that night... yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwnnn!!
He seemed better yesterday all day then the same thing started at night. I called the dr. today to get him in and they were FULL! The soonest he can be seen is 7:50 pm tonite, at the after hours clinic! Have you ever had to take a child to after hours? I HATE it! They take SOOOOO long to get your child in and he is gonna be SO grumpy because that is close to bedtime!

I probably won't post for a couple days because I am SO BEAT!
I will try to visit you all though:)

Hugs,
Noelle ♥

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Mostly Wordless Wednesday #10: BRAVE!


As I mentioned, I "grew a pair" (LOL) the other day and went on a BIG water slide!
Here it is! Doesn't look too bad in the pic, but I was SO scared!
Brian, my hubby to be is a DAREDEVIL and loves to do all this crazy stuff...
me= CHICKEN, big time! I get panicked having to climb all the steps on these things, then to look down.... I-YI-YI!!! Scary!


Here I am rearing the bottom; plugging my nose and holding my swim top so the boobies wouldn't pop out! You are thrown with force into that water! My bottoms even popped half way off in the water... oops!! I think this pic was on my 2nd time down!


Here is Brian, he is BRAVE and went down on his BACK which makes you go faster... YIKES!


And here he is FEET UP in the water!! LOL
This pic cracks me up!


We had a great time!
The kids love the place too!
I'll be posting more pics tomorrow, so come back and see!

Happy MWW!!

Noelle ♥

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Sneak Peek Revealed!


Hey girls!
Remember this sneak peek I showed last week?
I now can reveal what it was!

A few months back, I took part in a PAY IT FORWARD...
I posted on my blog that the first 3 people to leave a comment on that post,
would receive something handmade from me SOMETIME within the year!

The first gal to receive my Pay It Forward is my dear friend HOLLY from Girls at Heart!

I made her a little wooden sign with her blog name on it!


It also was my first time using Modge Podge and a sanding block too! FUN!
I had so much fun making this for Holly!
She is a girly girl and I hoped that she would love her little sign...
and she did!

I used pink fuzzy chipboard letters and my new FAVE those cute PRIMA flowers and some brads! I was always envious when I saw those 2 things used in people's scrapbook pages...
but I don't have to be anymore cause I have some of my own!


I have been SO insanely busy the past few days!
I started my new part time job at a home daycare last Friday, then I worked for Brian Saturday night at the pizza place he manages (and will eventually own) then Sunday I had errands to run with the boys and had to pick Brian up from work. Yesterday we took the boys and spent the afternoon at a water park that was SO much fun! And... I braved a big water slide!
I did it... 3 times... it was SO much fun!
I am a BIG chicken and am afraid of those things and well, anything HIGH in the air that I am not enclosed in. I feel like I have NO control over my falling if it were to happen, and BOY does it send me in panic mode! The first time I went up the slide I held onto my 8 year old son's hand! LOL I was scared!!! His cuteness comforted me though!!
I will post a pic of that experience for tomorrow's Mostly Wordless Wednesday post!

I think I am going to flat out SKIP my past due Scrapbook Sunday post from this past weekend!
I am stressin' a bit about getting it done along with a TON of housework I have due!

Thanks for being such good friends!
Hugs,
Noelle ♥

Sunday, August 2, 2009

sooooo busy!

Hi girls!

Today was a very busy day and I didn't have time to get my Scrapbook Sunday post up:( I will be posting it tomorrow evening though!

We are taking the boys to a fun water park called Splash Down Dunes tomorrow:) Can't wait! I may be BRAVE for once and go on one of the GROWN UP water slides! Who knows... I probably will chicken out, lol!!

I lost another 3 lbs in the past week or so... that makes 16 lbs total since May!! Yahoooooo!!!

Chat with you all later!

Hugs,
Noelle

Saturday, August 1, 2009

What do ya think?

Hey girls! My bachelorette party is coming up in mid-September and I am trying to find a CUTE stylish outfit to wear when we go out that night!!

I was thinking some chandelier earrings kinda like the ones above...

This SUPER cute top from Old Navy...
(I really like green on me when I am TAN!)


Some classy wide leg black pants: I feel SO much thinner in black pants!!
(Pants from Old Navy too)


Ooooooooooooooooh lala... and check this SEXY black heels out!!!
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE them!!
I feel SO much better in a sweet pair of heels too!!

So what do ya think?
Cute and sexy but classy and sassy??

Hugs,
Noelle ♥

Friday, July 31, 2009

GIVE-Away WINNER!!!


And the winner of my Beachy 300th Post Give-Away is...

#45 from the Random Number Generator thingy (that wouldn't show up right on my blog!!)...

Tasha (Mommy of 3)!!!

Congrats Tasha!

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I wish I could give you all goodies!
Thanks so much for the AWESOME response to my give-away:)
I've gained some new followers who I hope will continue to read and enjoy my blog on a regular basis; I love to make new friends!
You all have made this year and a half of blogging SO FUN and heartfelt!!

Big hugs to you all!!

Noelle ♥

Wedding WOW!!!


I love when I come across these Wedding Inspiration boards!!
I typically do NOT love orange but am CRAZY about it for our Fall wedding!
The color orange is SO vibrant and prominent in the Fall season as the leaves are turning colors and falling to the ground! The perfectly round orange pumpkins are so great!

My mom called tonite to ask if she could come by to show my some of the floral arrangement she's been working on for our November 14th FALL themed wedding! OH MY GOODNESS... they are BEAUTIFUL!! So rustic yet elegant; I LOVE IT! I was so happy with how they came out and so surprised at the same time because I told her my VISION of what I wanted, and she DELIVERED! We also came up with the way the guys boutonnieres will look too, very COOL!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay MOMMA!
THANKS SO MUCH!!

All of these details coming together is making this time by so fast!
When we made our engagement official in March of 2008; the wedding was 21 months away at that time!! Now its like 3 1/2 months away!!!!

Everything is going to be SO beautiful put together!! I can barely fall asleep at night when I think about it cause I get so excited!!

No jitters here!! LOL

Good night gals!
Hugs,
Noelle ♥