Black Friday Wal-Mart Shopping

My son-in-law is a super shopper and he asked if I wanted to go to the “Thanksgiving Evening” shopping at Wal-Mart.  What was I thinking……………I said yes………..oooh!  So we (myself, husband, sister, daughters and son-in-law) hopped in our vehicles and headed out to the madness.  This was actually my first time doing this and what an experience it was.  First of all, there was absolutely no parking spaces in the Wal-Mart parking lot so we opted to park quite a ways off and walk.  All around the parking lot, there were policemen and people, lots of people.  The moment you walked in the doors, you were greeted with a mob of people, everywhere!  NOTE: Yes, that is my daughter in front of me with the beautiful red hair.

At this point, I was starting to re-think my decision about going “Black Friday” shopping.  I was there for one reason only………..a big screen T.V.  We currently have a 26” T.V. and a pair of eyes needing a bigger viewing area.  As I am aging, I have noticed that my vision has a harder time focusing on the smaller, 26” screen.  I’m not so sure our larger  T.V. screen isn’t going to be a tad too large but I guess we’ll see how it works when it arrives.  The sale was very well organized and the lines actually moved at a pretty good pace.  I waited/walked in line following a maze (like waiting in line at Disneyland) and then when I got to the end of the line, I was handed a T.V. voucher. 

From there, I got in another line to make payment and then from home, I needed to register my purchase on line.  Now all that is left to do is wait for the “ready for pick-up” email.  By looking at the crowd of people, I would never have guess we would be in and out of Wal-Mart in under an hour, with no visible injuries. 

Thanksgiving Sour Cream Packets

I came across the cutest craft on the internet for making Christmas sour cream packets and filling them with candy.  Loved this idea so I thought I would make some Thanksgiving packets, fill them with candy corn and give them to family, friends, my husbands co-workers, and the ladies I visit teach.

I made a little over fifty of them.  Once I got in the groove of printing, cutting out and putting them together, it was actually quite fun.  Instead of using glue, I used a double-sided, permanent tape runner, making the process pretty easy. 

To assemble, you run a strip of tape, on the back side of your pattern, down both long sides and on one short end.  To do my taping, I got an old magazine to lay my pattern on then ran my tape strips.  By doing it this way, it didn’t matter if I ran over the edges a bit and after making a few, I just turned to a clean page and glued a few more.

After placing your tape, you need to roll the short ends together, so it kind of resembles a toilet paper roll.

Now mash the ends together, starting on the end with the feet.  After mashing the feet end flat, put in your treats of choice and then mash the other end in the opposite direction, making it look like a sour cream packet….like the kind you get at fast food restaurants.  That’s it…………..all done.  Easy and a fun gift to give!
  

Praline Crack

I found this recipe for Praline Crack from THIS SITE (Cookies & Cups).  She called it Praline Crack because she said it is so addicting.  I made some last evening and if you want a fattening sugar rush, then this recipe is for you.  All it contains is graham crackers, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and nuts.  A lot of butter and brown sugar, really.  Now you know why she said it is so addicting.  I am sitting here, right now, eating a piece as I type.  Yummy.  It is a super easy recipe and takes very little time to make.  You just line a cookie sheet with graham crackers, make the buttery sugar sauce, pour it over the top of the grahams, sprinkle with nuts, bake for 10-12 minutes and you’re done.  That’s it.  Enjoy!  I put the recipe below, but you really should go to her site and look at the step-by-step pictures, showing you how to make it.  Her pictures are great.  A lady added a comment to her blog stating that she even topped it with chocolate chips when it came out of the oven.  Another lady said she puts crisp, crumbled bacon on the graham crackers before adding the buttery sugar sauce.  Mmm, mmm, mmmmm.

Beaver Dam On Houston Road

Three, maybe four weeks ago as I was traveling along Houston Road near the bridge, I looked to see if I could see a beaver dam in the river.  I’m not sure who told me about it but at that time, there wasn’t much to see.  Today as I was heading home, I remembered the dam and decided to go and take another look.  My goodness, someone has been a Busy Beaver.  The dam was all across the river.  It’s amazing how these little animals can block off water.  How do they get the first stick and every other stick solid enough to hold back the water while they continue to work on their dam.  AMAZING!  Wikipedia (the Free Encyclopedia) states this about the beaver: Beavers build dams to provide ponds as protection against predators such as coyotes, wolves, and bears, and to provide easy access to food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way that the overall ecosystem builds upon the change, making beavers a keystone species. Beavers work at night and are prolific builders, carrying mud and stones with their fore-paws and timber between their teeth.  To read more, GO HERE.