Chocolate Chips...

...and I'm not talking about Toll house here, people!

I can't remember where I saw these, but I think a co-worker had told me that her mom makes them for Christmas. Ever since then, they have been in the back of my mind...taunting me.

Ladies and gentleman...Chocolate covered potato chips. In this case, Pringles, because that's the brand that was recommended to me to stand up the best in the dipping process!

Let me start by telling you that there was a traumatic melted chocolate experience on Christmas Eve that involved all three of us Briner girls gathered around a small, homemade double broiler full of chocolate chips (yes, the Toll house kind) trying to get the damn things to melt evenly.We ended up making a horrendous mess, and only having enough chocolate to dip about 24 orange slices, for our family Christmas Day gathering of 18. Epic fail. But they WERE delicious!

I have made melty chocolate goodies before, and used a small crocpot, or an electric fondue pot, and it works like a charm. I told Erin and Hannah that I would try and find one at an after Christmas sale for us!

The next day was Christmas and we were all at our Daddad's house. I went down into the basement to put my corn pudding into the extra oven down there, and low and behold, a tiny crocpot, still wrapped in plastic, never used! I took it back upstairs and asked Daddad if he ever used it, and he said "No, why? Do you want it?" Of course I said YES!! To which he enthusiastically told me to get it outta the house before he threw it out. I think my Ma was looking out for me :)

ANYWAY...another option to the fondue/little crocpot is a pre-packaged little cup of chocolate melts that you can buy at most grocery stores. That's what I used for the first time I made the Pringles! You just peel the lid off, pop it in the microwave, and you are good to go. This is not the brand I used, Wal Mart had a different one, but you get the idea. It is found in the baking aisle, near the chocolate chips and things like that

I had intended to do this for NYE but never got around to it. I was watching Jax and had a few friends over and between his feedings, and watching Amish Mafia, it just didn't happen ;)

One day last week, Gioia called me at work in a panic because she was with Matt's dad at UVA, his surgery had gone on longer than expected, and Matt was in Arlington at work. For those of you non-Virginians...those are both locations FAR apart from each other, and over an hour from where we live. 

The time when the bus comes to drop the boys off from school was quickly approaching and she was afraid that neither one of them was going to make it! No worries, that's what Em-Way is for ;) I finished up my day about an hour-and-a-half early and drove over to their house to meet the bus.

I had the boys finish their homework and told them we would make a special snack when they were done. Jason is a chip FANATIC! He loves ANY kind of chips! Potato, tortilla, Doritos, Cheetos, you name it...so I knew this would be a hit!

Jason was screwing around with his reading homework, so Aron and I did most of the dipping, and then threw them in the fridge to cool and harden while we waited for Jason. we dipped about half of each chip into the chocolate, and left the other half plain. 

You could just as easily dip the whole thing in, if that's what you want :) 

Also, the boys came up with the idea of adding sprinkles! How cute would red and pink sprinkled chips be for Valentines Day??

Our Christmas List...

So here we are, What I like to call "Christmas Eve Eve"

What is on your list?
Oscar and I have a little imaginary list going on here. We haven't shared it with anyone, so we know we aren't getting any of it, ha ha =)

In all reality, we are SO glad to be home with my family for the first time in 4 years. I am safe, and not in fear for my safety this year. I am not working 80+ hours to try and support an alcoholic husband. I am still battling the migraines, but less than last year! We have a roof over our heads, a warm bed to sleep in, I have a job (and Initials Inc!,) and a car to drive, and a little bit of money in my pocket! Because of these things, I've got EVERYTHING I want for Christmas, and this will the best Christmas I've had in a long time!

Doesn't mean a girl can't wish, right??

So...in no particular order =)

1. Lasik surgery! My contacts are such a pain in the butt, and my glasses are an old Rx, and I can't really wear them except around the house. I'd loooooove to wake up, roll outta bed and be able to SEE!

 

2. A finalized divorce and financial papers!!

3. A REALLY good year with Initials Inc! Complete with tons of parties, sales, and maybe even a few recruits! There is an Initials Inc. conference in Atlanta in July that I would love to go to as well, hoping to make enough selling that I can go!

 4. Headache Ice Pillow from Amazon.com

 

5.  Turquoise or Aqua down comforter. My current one is VERY old, and Lyla chewed a hole in it a while ago. I keep putting packing tape over the whole, but that's pretty lame. I'd love a new one!!

6. Some new scrubs, including jackets. Scrubs get worn out, just like anyone else's "work clothes." So I could use some new tops, pretty good on pants. I've never been into wearing the jackets. I usually just wear long sleeved shirts under the tops. But since Jennifer has been on maternity leave, I've been stealing her black jacket almost every day, and I like it =) Since she will be back in mid-January, I should probably get my own!

 

7. New coat. All of my coats are "Chicago" rated. Totally unnecessary for down here. I really like this Carhartt one. They also have a pretty turquoise one that I saw. Something that will last, but doesn't need to be rated for sub-zero temperatures and 3 feet of snow!

8. Dog food. His stuff is pretty expensive. I love him and it helps keep him slim and trim, so I pay the $40 a bag, but if Ol' Saint Nick wants to help me out, by all means, throw a few bags in the sleigh!

9. Rawhides, Nylabones, Flea and tick meds, and anything else for Momma's boy...I usually would rather not eat lunch and pay for his stuff, so I'll just go ahead and ask for it for Christmas :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

 

My one and only Christmas craft!

As I posted before, I'm totally Bah Humbug this year! In the past 5-6 years I have handmade at least 1/2 of my gifts, had the most beautifully wrapped packages, and baked dozens of cookies by now...

But alas, here I am, a few store bought gifts, nothing wrapped, and cookie-less.

I DID manage to make a few ornaments about a month ago. My friend Gioia was having a Holiday "shopping event" where people could come and shop for Slumber Parties, Pampered Chef, Scentsy, 31 (booo! lmao) etc. products. I had set up a table with a few handmade ornaments. Mainly my favorite, the wine cork reindeer. I just love these guys, and they are always a favorite!

I didn't take pics as I went, so I don't have a tutorial, but here is a picture :) I use 4 corks, glue gun them together, add antlers and a ribbon or a hook. Some of them have eyes and a nose...some of them just get left plain.

Bah humbug...

I don't know what my problem is...I LOVE Christmas! It's MY thing!

I'm THAT girl who drags everyone out to drive around and look at lights!
I love to go to the mall and listen to the Christmas music and enjoy the hustle and bustle!
I take Oscar to sit on Santa's lap!
I make cookies!
I wrap gifts with big, gorgeous bows!
I send beautiful, handmade Christmas cards (Usually postmarked by the first week of December!)
I wear Christmas scrubs!
I put THREE trees up last year! Including one just for my Dachshund!

I just can't get into it this year. I'm not sure if its because this is my first year alone? Alone as in, not with Kurt...I have my family around, which I am SO THANKFUL for....but being alone in a relationship sense is kinda a bummer around the holidays.

I'm also BROKE as a joke. I can't do or buy the things I want, and I REALLY have to watch what I am spending. I usually go CRAZY on Aron and Jason (and now Jackson) but I just can't this year. I know that they won't know, and they love their Em-way just the same...but it breaks me inside a little.

How is YOUR holiday season going? Are you Buddy the Elf this year? Or Mr. Scrooge?

Weiner dogs on Wednesday

This will be my first Weiner dogs on Wednesday post with out the man himself pictured in it =(
Poor guy...actually he doesn't mind a bit! More play time and less of me-making-him-sit-still-for-the-camera time.

Christmas is coming, people. It's already the middle of September. It seems like it was just February and Oscar and I were moving back home to Virginia! Time to start planning gifts, menus, decorations, cards, and the tree!

Did I mention that Oscar has his own tree? I've never taken a picture of it for some reason, but I will this year. It started because when he was a baby, I bought a little doxie ornament, and then a lady at church bought me a set of four, really cute crocheted dachshund ornaments that Crate and Barrel had out that year, and then a co worker got me one, and then it just went crazy from there. The dog ended up with around 20 ornaments on his first Christmas when he was six months old, so I got him a little tree.

Now, for the last two years we had red dachshund ornaments on the tree as well, and he shared with Lyla, but this year, its back to being just HIS tree, and I will mail all of those ornaments back to Kurt's mom...because I'm a nice person and I know that she will appreciate them since they have Lyla living with them now. Only black or silver dapple doxies this year, on the tree...I promised him ;)

So? What does this have to do with Weiner dogs on Wednesday? I came up with a cute Christmas card idea that I'm pretty sure we will be using this year. (We being Oscar and I...)

The JOY is a card stock overlay that was purchased from a store in Elmhurst, IL, called Creative Cuts and Crafts. It is intended for Iris folding. It comes in a package of 5 with Bazzil (shiny paper) cards and envelopes for around $5-6. I REALLY miss having them around.They had amazing products including iris folding patterns and pre-cut cards, would do custom cut scrapbook pages or cards, and held some awesome classes in their store.

The Dachshund stamp was purchased from Doxie Stamps, they can be found at cowtownstamps.com. I just stamped him on a small piece of white card stock and taped it onto the back of the JOY piece, making sure not to cover any of the 'J' or the 'Y.'

The 'Merry Christmas' stamp is from Hobby Lobby, another store I miss from Chicago. There is one in Fredericksburg, but that's an hour away, I used to have one less than a mile from my office. Dangerous? Yes!  I stamped that on there with silver ink.

I haven't done anything on the inside yet. I may put a picture of the Osc man and myself, or I might print a little greeting or Bible verse off of the computer, haven't decided.

 I have 3 packages of these from Creative cuts and crafts, and I then I have a light box and a craft knife to try and make them myself.

I've gotten 2 Christmas gifts already too. Just because they were on sale, and seemed to be a really good deal.

Has anyone else given any thought to Christmas yet?