The Dawn Has Broke

It's over & I'm not drowning in a sea of tears. No waterfalls. I'm shocked. I've been very close friends with tears of happiness before but for some reason I never got past damp eyes this time. I think it's because I was so satisfied with this series, so extremely content with how this saga ended that I was relieved. I just didn't want to cry anymore. And I didn't need to. I won't feel withdrawals because Edward & Bella sit on my nightstand, all 4 so beautifully aligned, waiting for me to peruse whenever I feel.

It was so beautiful, I can't even imagine a better ending to this past month of obsession. And I can't even fathom how some would be unhappy with this conclusion, as I heard there were many.  

I want to say thank you to this very intelligent, eloquent & beautiful lady for introducing me to this series & for so passionately acting as Stephenie Meyer's unofficial marketing gal. This was the series heard around the blogosphere & she had a lot to do with it. You should just listen to whatever she says, that's all! 

Thanks Lula. You, along with a few others, have reignited my desire to always have a book on my night stand. I just need to keep it out of my lap at stop lights!!!!!

Saturday Suitcase of Stuff

I am not a huge weekend blogger but it gives me good opportunity to post things I normally don't. Tristan just wanted to say good morning & thank everyone for prayers for his grandpa who is out of the hospital & being watched closely. He also wanted to show off his two birthday presents from my best friend Jen from NY. A super cool apron & baseball hat. Yes, my boy is going to know how to cook & play ball! He wants to make the ladies happy already. 

I am 2 chapters away from my heart breaking the end of Breaking Dawn. Really, I have been savoring this end for a while. I even stopped last night purposely & thought when will it be best to break down & cry. So, this afternoon, I have scheduled the conclusion of this sexy, crazy, beautiful love story & the start of my mental breakdown. Actually, while I KNOW there will be tears, I think I am going to be happy with the ending!

I made a dish last night that was a flop. Just nothing special at all like I thought it would be. So, hopefully the rest of the weekend will yield some tasty items!!!

Beer & Cream Cheese

I'm so happy it's Friday. It's been a rough week with getting over the flu, getting back into the swing of things & most importantly, my father in law has been in the hospital since Sunday night. Since then, he has had many tests & scans, 2 stent surgeries & now gall bladder issues. I want to send prayers his way.

On to other things, I hope to cook a bit this weekend & get back to some real recipes. Although I have so many yet to share that I've already made, I don't like to post them until I have my own picture to accompany it. Oh, I already set up the printing option as well. Thanks for voting.

I made some vegetable cream cheese last night that was awesome & I wanted to share it. It rivals any cream cheese I have had, store bought or otherwise.
Vegetable Cream Cheese
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Veggie Soup Mix
2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
2 tblsp milk

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients; chill 2 hours. Makes 2 cups. It's nice you can make this as lowfat as you'd like.

Click Here for Printable Recipe (the recipe is on the back of the Lipton box) :)

I also wanted to share a beer I bought & tried yesterday evening. It was like pumpkin & spice in a bottle, but subtle. Perfect for this season!!! I loved it. If you like ales & Blue Moon I think you'll really like this.

I wanted to tell you how Tristan is keeping tabs on my progress with the Twilight series. He sweetly asks me each day how far along I am as he calls the book by its name. I tell him once which one I am reading & he always remembers it. Yesterday, he says "mommy, you're almost done with Breaking Dawn." Yes, I am. I can honestly say I'm a little nervous about the emotions that will take over me on that last chapter. But there'll be Midnight Sun, Edward's perspective of Twilight, that will keep me from having withdrawals. UPDATE to clarify: Midnight Sun is an online draft version of a book that got leaked. It's not another book though. It tells of Twilight from Edward's perspective.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!!

Looking Back to 3, Looking Ahead to Twilight

Tristan turns 5 this weekend so we're having a party at the house. I've been relatively cool about the whole thing & have kept my entertaining obsessiveness in check. It reminded me of the time he turned 3 & I, well, didn't keep it in check. I decided to make his invites from scratch. It surprised me even because that just wasn't what I normally do. But something bit me & I spent hours upon hours making these over the course of 2 weeks. 

I was especially proud of the little handkerchief I made & weaved through holes for the back of the invite. I really don't know where I pulled that idea out of. I don't spend a lot of time doing this kind of thing, so that's why I am proud of these & wanted to share.

It was a Woody & Buzz party. We rented a miniature horse who acted as Bullseye. Tristan was on him for 30 seconds & was done! I took it easy last year & had his 4th party at an indoor playground. I think I was still recuperating!

On an entirely different subject, I was playing around today & did this. I know, I know. Just being silly. Sorry hubby, I don't REALLY love Edward. I love Edward & Bella together!!!! And I have to get all this out at once so I can get back to my food stuff tomorrow, ya know?!?! Anyhoo, you can do a billboard like this here.

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Saturday's Mixed Brown Bag of Goodies

Hope everyone is having a nice Saturday! Please see this scene from the movie Serendipity I talked about a little bit back. It's an awesome scene, calming, very romantic but mostly because it has the instrumental piece I love by David Gray. As I mentioned before, it was Gray's music I fell in love with my husband to. 

The song January Rain is one of the only instrumentals on the incredible CD it belongs to & never fails to remind me of our courting days 7 years ago. This movie is also an awesome chick flick if you haven't seen it yet.  The song that comes on after the instrumental is awesome too but I don't know who it's by.

Here are also a few other recent shots I wanted to share with you:

Daddy & Tristan having an impromptu jam session in the bathroom. 

Tristan in his new Ben 10 costume he'll don for his birthday party next week & Halloween if he wishes to.

This morning brought the ending of New Moon. Le Sigh. I do plan on making a trip to the book store tonight to get Eclipse BUT I do plan on slowing it down a bit, reading just a chapter or two a night. After all, if Edward & Jacob can have self-control then I need to master some myself!!!

New Moon, Sweet & Savory

Already 190 pgs into New Moon. Sobbing uncontrollably, evident in my eyes this morning, real life pains from long ago coming back to mind combined with intense thrills of a partly fictitious world.

There has definitely been a change in seasons but I understand you can't have the beautiful days of Spring without the harsh hours of Winter. I keep telling myself this is just one part of a whole beautiful story that is not done yet. In a way, this one has moved me in more ways than the first. I just don't know how much more I can stand.........

Sweet .......................

I got this recipe from Deanna's Corner Cooking. I was intrigued by the simplicity of it & it did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded my expectations as the yellow cake mix yielded a nice surprise underneath the thin cream cheese icing. It's not your usual spongy cake in this delight. Everyone loved it. And I loved being able to warm up a slice days later & it tasting just as delicious. It's a must try!!!!

Chess Squares

1 yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1 box confectioners' sugar
8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, at room temp
2 eggs

Mix first three ingredients with fork. Press into the bottom of 9 x 13 pan sprayed lightly with Pam. Cream eggs & cream cheese with a mixer. Add sugar. Pour over bottom mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool & cut. Store leftovers in fridge. Re-heat a slice in microwave for 8-10 seconds.

Savory .......................

I made onions & peppers over Labor Day for the chicken sausages I grilled. I wanted to share it here because they came out great.

Onions & Peppers

Just saute some onions, red & green peppers in heated olive oil until they soften a bit. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder & Italian seasoning.

My two tricks are adding a little sugar to taste for sweetness. And when the pan looks like it's getting dry pour a little beer into it & watch the beautiful steam rise. I did this twice. In this case, I was drinking Beck's Light, you can almost see it to the left of the green candle in the middle picture. Yeah, I'm a messy cook!

Oriental Broccoli Slaw

Pg 377 of Twilight. Oh my. I can't spell out the words of the sounds I make when reading this so I will just say OH MY. They just finished up the thunderstorm baseball game.

Well, onto more deliciousness. I made this as a side dish to the chicken florentine sandwiches on Sunday night. I got it from my sister who got it from a friend & so on. We had it as a leftover side for last night's dinner as well. The balance between sweet & tangy is very satisfying. This is a must try because it's easy on the effort & high on the taste.

Oriental Broccoli Slaw

1 bag broccoli slaw
2 pkgs Oriental Ramen noodles, crushed finely
1 seasoning packet from noodles
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

Mix broccoli slaw with noodles & sunflower seeds. Mix seasoning packet with oil, vinegar & sugar. Pour over slaw mixture & mix well. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, preferably overnight. If you don't crush the noodles the bigger pieces will not become soft like you want them to.