I was sent a hyperlink to a blog this weekend. The blog site had a 'linking party' where everyone submitted a desert recipe. They all looked so wonderful. I attempted to try to make one of the dishes submitted. I wasn't able to take pictures (plus-mine weren't nearly as pretty as these pics) but I thought I would place the recipe on my blog. It was fast and easy. Hope you enjoy!

Oreo Balls

All you will need is 3 ingredients:

1 pkg oreos

1 pkg cream cheese *room temp

1 pkg of almond bark or other melting chocolate (Choc or white)

First dump all the oreos into a food processor (if you don't have one- attempt to place them in a cake pan and roll a glass over them until the crumbs resemble dirt...or you could save time and clean up and place them in a gallon size ziploc and pound them with a glass). Toss in that hunk of softened cream cheese. Dig in with your hands. (I am not lying...that is what the recipe calls for!) Roll out the mixture into inch size balls and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (I used an ice cream scoop...but you should use a smaller size scoop if you want more cookies. Mine were HUGE) Pop em in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. (I left them for about 30). While your 'balls" are freezing (I am NOT going there!) melt the chocolate the way you choose. I did it in the microwave. Drop the balls into the chocolate, coat well, shake off excess, and put back onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Once complete, pop 'em back into the freezer to harden.

**These can look beautiful with sprinkles or colored drizzled chocolate. Who needs Godiva chocolate?!!!

On Friday, all of the senior class were to wear toga's to show the school just who ruled. My son channeled Animal House and this is where that brought us...

Please remember...these pics were taken BEFORE Seminary so if you are wondering about the expression on my son's face...just know it's about 4:30 AM! Not the best time to take pics!

New Fall TV Show Review

Well I've done it... I caught up on the 1,000 hours of recorded DVR shows that I have taped over the last two weeks. I wasn't feeling completely up to par this weekend so I zoned out on the couch and became the biggest potato ever! I enjoy watching the new fall season of TV shows. It seems like there are tons of them this year. I thought I would share my opinions on the few that I saw this weekend.

First on the block~

House (Fox TV): The season premiere was good. It took place in an asylum. I won't go into too much detail but suffice it to say- it was good to see the lead character actually feel emotions.

It promises to be a good year for the story lines.

Supernatural (CW): Dang good show. My family is totally addicted to it. However, I have noticed quite a bit of curse words thrown around in the last few seasons. It seems to progress from year to year. If you can get over the language, the story line is about Angels and Demons and their connections to the main characters. The story line is intriguing. The visual imagery is stunning. The actors are definite eye candy. I recommend this show to anyone who enjoys a good scare.

New Shows:

Cougar Town: This is the new Courtney Cox show where she is newly divorced and looking for love in all of the young boys that she finds along the way. Age is a definite issue with this character. The show was racy and quite vulgar at times. Honestly, I should have turned it off about 3 different times, however, it was so funny that I actually stay tuned for the entire 30 mintues. I am not sure I will plug in again. It was offensive. But it was also a laugh out loud remedy to my run down blues.

Eastwick: This is the same story as the movie with Cher and Michele Pfeiffer and Jack Nicholson. I never saw the original movie. I had no desire. The only reason why I placed it on my DVR to record was that I wanted to see how Rebecca Romijn looked after having twins.

(Evil, I know...but I am anything if not honest!). It was predictable. The story didn't really evolve. It was basically an introduction to the characters. I will not be placing this one on my DVR.

The Good Wife: I was pleasantly surprised about this show. It was good. The character was believable and you actually felt sorry for her. You also want her to succeed despite the curve balls life is throwing at her. I will watch this show every week. I recommend for you to look into it and see what you think.

Ok...that's all I have watched thus far. I still have the shows 'Forgotten' and 'Flash Forward' to watch. I'll fill you in on them at a later time.

Don't you just love these reviews?!?!?!?!?

It's official. I am jealous...

Ok, it's officially autumn and I am stuck in Florida where everything is still hot, sticky and sunny. It's ok for the summertime. But in the fall. I miss the bold, dramatic colors of the fall leaves. I miss the cool chill in the air. I miss everything about the fall season. So, let's take a moment and have an official pity party for me. Silence please!

PS:

It won't always be this way. In a few months while you are freezing your butt off and clearing snow from your driveways...I'll still be in eternal summer weather. It might get down into the 70's by then!

Time to reflect on spiritual things....

I was reading a book that quoted some verses from Isaiah. It stated that the Lord promises to "create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain." (from vs. 5-6)

The author stated that ' every dwelling place' is a home. In the last days each 'dwelling place' will have the promised protection if we are worthy of it through our faithfulness to the covenants we have made with the Lord. If we have the eyes to see, we can stand in front of our homes and know that, spiritually speaking, the Lord's glory, his pillar, is above them and will defend them.

"Isaiah refers to our homes as holy places. In these places we can defeat Satan. These positions we must defend. In them we will make our stand. We can triumph over the adversary if we protect our homes. Then, in turn, our home can be a place of protection. A place of refuge from the storm. It is in the home that we will have the Lord's glory to defend and help us."

These words were on my mind as I was walking my Bailey girl through the neighborhood tonight. As I came back from my journey toward my home, I saw the large clouds practically sitting on top of the homes on my street. They were so large and they were so low in the sky right at the time of dusk. They were striking in their contrats to the darking sky. In my minds eye, I knew that to the naked eye, we don't always see the protection from evil that we pray for in our daily family prayers. But it is real. It is a 'cloud of protection' from all worldy things. Our homes can truly be a 'Heaven on earth' if we allow it. If we will protect the things we allow in our homes...it can be a Holy place.

Look out! I am in the mood to redecorate. I have been scanning through magazines and looking through online blogs. I found this dining room in a decorating book from Havertys. Isn't it gorgeous? I fell in love with it. I think it's me to a capital "T". It would look so good in my home. Why is it that I can't like 'cheap' things? Why must I always zoom in on the most expensive pieces in the store???? I have viewed blogs where women have gone and found things at flea markets and pay $5.00 for a stunning piece of furniture that they sand and stain themselves. It makes me feel empowered. I can do it, right? My sister, Dana, just refinished her dining room table and it looks gorgeous. Her act of bravery was inspiring. It's also bringing out the competitive side of me. If my baby sister can do it....surely I can do it, too! So...tomorrow I am off to a resale place in the obscure town of Ruskin. I am going to try to look for something that would serve the duty of a buffet/server in my dining room. We will see if I come up with anything. How embarrassing will it be if I find a dream piece of furniture and mess it up when I refinish it? Live and Learn. That will be my motto. Wish me luck!

How could I forget????

Most normal, intelligent, neighborly folks hang the routine stuff from their ceilings and walls of their garages. Bikes and sports gear are the standard. It's not unusual to view that sort of thing as you walk by their homes on a Saturday morning stroll and wave to them as they work out of their garages. My wonderful neighbors look at my garage and just shake their heads... we aren't your typical suburbia folk.

More detailed pics of the latest scare gear... (Notice the fingers hanging out of the mouth on the one mask?!)

It's official...my boys are insane!!!

Many people save money each month and place it in a Christmas fund, but not my family. We go one step further. We have an official Halloween fund. My friends think we are completely crazy. Maybe we are. It's just that my boys get a huge kick out of Halloween and look forward to the Haunted House they build every year for the local families. It was so big last year that people couldn't believe they didn't charge admission. In fact, we had a minimum of 250 people. People drove into the neighborhood just for the scare! My guys just love the thrill of scaring kids and adults until they pee in their pants. It's nothing for them to chase people down the street. It's true. I have pictures to prove it. This year, the boys have already drawn a blueprint of their official haunted house.. It will be a crime scene. Complete with furniture (from Craig's list) and corpse lying all over the 'room'. It's quite detailed and they have spent hours on this already and it's only the middle of September! They have also been busy shopping for new gear. Not that they don't already have rubbermaid totes full. In fact, it's getting to the point we need a storage facility to hold it all. I am a good little wife. I say nothing. I just smile and nod when it's appropriate. In my mind I think of Christmas and all of the 14 large rubber made totes full of my Christmas paraphenalia. I admit, it's worse than the boys and their scary stuff. It's ok. Its a trade off. "Whatever makes you happy~makes me happy, grasshopper!"

Oh...my broken heart!

I am so sad. My girlhood dream of romance has died. I remember going to the movies to see Dirty Dancing with my friends Tiffany, Greg and Ryan. We had such a blast. We fell in love with the music and the romance of it all. I always thought Patrick was bigger than life. To me, he was the epitome of sexy. How sad we have lost him.

I inadvertantly left my dog, Bailey, outside this morning instead of quickly letting her back in after she did her 'business'. NormallyI let her outside and then I get into my daily routine of 'supposed beauty edification' and then let her back in within 15 minutes. I must have needed a little more time than normal today (that's what 3 miles of walking will do to you in the ungodly hours before 6:30!) and I completely forgot to let her back into the cool air conditioned house. My little princess got very upset with me. She refused to let me love on her and walked straight to her bed. When I attempted to kneel down beside her bed and pet on her and try talking to her...she turned her head to the wall and humphed!!!!! Boy can she hold a grudge. This picture tells the whole story. This is hours AFTER the incidental abandonment.

My family and I are jazzed at the very thought of the premier of "House" tonight on fox. We LOVE this show!!!! I swear, I think the only good thing about the start of the fall season is the new television shows returning after a long season of reruns!!!! It sounds like my family watches a lot of television. Honestly we don't. We are just very loyal to a few shows! I think one of the reasons why I love this show is that the lead character of "House" has a lot of qualities that are shared by my husband. (Ok, ok,...maybe just the good ones! Wink-Wink!)

Yesterday was a red letter day in my home. We are HUGE Supernatural (TV SHOW) fans. It was their premiere last night. We have been catching up with the previous seasons on DVD over the last week. It is an awesome show. My husband and son are totally into it. Of course, I like it too. Lots of funny lines and the eye candy is certainly worth tuning in. Take a look. Nice, huh?

Longing for more stolen moments....

I have been busy with a normal, typical, school day and all of the challenges it presents...I think longingly back to this summer when Tony and I were able to run away from home and capture a few 'blissful moments' together just the two of us. I want to steal a few more days on the beach with him. Just run away and hide from the world. I want that huge, fluffy, exceedingly luxurious bed and the incredible view right from the window beside it. I want to hear the ocean waves in the background as I feel the salty, wet air permeate through the room giving a soft gentle breeze. Is that a lot to ask?!?!?!?! For now, I think I will try to go and steal a few kisses from my sweet hubby and dream of those beautiful moments on the beach when worldy trouble couldn't touch us.

These are pictures from May when I was able to go to the temple with my family in Dallas. I love them so much. I am so blessed to have them not only be family members but to also have them as my friends.

The Orlando Temple

I went to the temple today! I love the freedom of getting in the car and within an hour and a half, I am there. I left with an incredible feeling of peace. Isn't that a wonderful gift? Sometimes this world can be so hard. There are so many things being thrown at you from all directions. It is comforting to go into the house of the Lord and feel our burdens be left at the door. To have respite from the afflictions of all worldliness for a few hours. I think back to when I was a young girl and temples were so far away. We would go as a youth group once a year to Arizona and it would take us a whole week! But it was worth it. We loved it and looked forward to it all year long. I laugh thinking about those times. Memories are running strong within me today. I have been thinking back to the last few months when I was able go with my family to the temple for the first time. Words fail to describe the sheer joy I felt being there with them. Isn't that what we will feel when we are all rejoined together as families once this life is through? Indescribable joy!