End of the year teacher gift.

This year I let the kids make their teachers, para educators, principal, and speech pathologist a gift. We made personalized flower post with ivy clippings off of my ivy plants. The teachers loved them!

Chocolate Brownie Trifle

1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed





Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.
In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces whipped topping until no streaks remain.
In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 ounce container of whipped topping. Repeat layers.

Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Cakes by Me

I need a place to post all the cakes that I have made for a few customers to check out so this is where they will be until I get a new website built.

Coffee Can Flowers

These cute painted flowers are made in a coffee can with paint and marbles. For directions and more homeschooling and preschool ideas check out

Adventures in Preschool.

Ad Space for Trade

I have been named the contest director for our new TOPS group. It is my job to get people to donate prizes for the person who pulls off the most weight each week.


Here is the deal....

In exchange for your donation you will get-

20% off one order at www.beautyfromtheearth.com

Your business cards or literature handed out to our group.

6 months ad on two of the following blogs-

www.mrssuziehomemaker.com


http://allcookiesallthetime.blogspot.com/


http://makecupcakesnotwar.blogspot.com/


I just cleaned out most of the ads, including google ads, off of each blog.


Conatct me

suziehomemakerblog (at) yahoo . com

Kitchen Remodel Update

Our remodel job is taking much longer than we expected. We had to pull up all the flooring due to a problem with batch color not matching. Home Depot was very nice and replaced all the ones that we had purchased but the work still had to be done.

I am looking forward to getting a nice light fixture and doing away with the dated fan. Any suggestions?

Before Pictures

More Photos

Bridal Shower Cake

This is a cake that I made for a bridal shower a couple of weeks ago. It was very simple but cute and the bride to be loved it.

Dinning Room Makeover Update

We are far from done but I thought I would give a quick photo update. I hope to start the drywall soon but time has not allowed here lately. I love it so much already and I can wait until it is done. I plan on repainting the whole dining area but leaving the kitchen white. Any suggestions on a paint color?

Taco Soup - A step back in time.

My grandmother gave me this old wood burning stove back at Thanksgiving. It needs to be sanded and refinished before I bring it in the house to use it as a accent table. While it is out back on my patio I thought I would use it to cook supper at lease once. I built up a super hot fire in it and got to cooking. This recipe could also be made on a modern day stove or even over an open campfire.


Brown 1 lb of hamburger with a diced onion and bell pepper.

Add a pkg of taco seasoning, a 1/2 pkg of ranch dressing mix,2 cans of ranch style beans, two cans of corn with juice, two cans of diced tomatoes and about 3 -6 cups of water or chicken broth( depends on how soupy you like it).

Simmer for an hour or so and then add a handful of chopped cilantro.

Serve hot topped with shredded cheese, crushed corn chips, and a sprig of cilantro.

ENJOY!

Suzie News

I have been making one huge mess here lately!

My husband and I have taken on some remodeling that I would like to share with everyone. It has been quite the experience!!!



We started by tearing out a wall. Easier said than done! The wall was concrete! Talk about a huge mess.

We have finished the wall demolition up and are going to start on the taping and bedding this week. In the meantime I thought I would rip up some carpet. I was hoping to find beautiful hardwood floors but I didn't!!!! :(

My project for this week will be refinishing the floors. I started tonight and it is a big chore. I have been using a paint stripper. I put it on and let it set about 15 minutes then scrape it off. After I get most of the paint off I will sand the floors.

I plan to paint the walls and I will post pics as soon as it is done.

How to store Christmas lights?

What is the best way to store Christmas lights?

Wrap each strand around a square of cardboard and store them in separate plastic bags. They will be tangle free and ready to go for christmas 2008.

Chicken Noodle Casserole Recipe, Picture, and Review.

I made a chicken noodle casserole last night using a recipe from Allrecipes. It sounded great but I am one of those people who can not leave recipes alone. I have to change at lease one ingredient. The original recipe is below and after it is the changes that I made.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 ounces egg noodles
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup crumbled buttery round crackers
1/2 cup butter

Poach chicken in a large pot of simmering water. Cook until no longer pink in center, about 12 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside. Bring chicken cooking water to a boil and cook pasta in it. Drain. Cut chicken into small pieces, and mix with noodles.
In a separate bowl, mix together mushroom soup, chicken soup, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir together cream soup mixture with the chicken mixture. Place in a 2 quart baking dish.
Melt butter in a small saucepan, and remove from heat. Stir in crumbled crackers. Top casserole with the buttery crackers.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, until heated through and browned on top.

** My Recipe Additions**

I sauteed a whole onion with 1/2 cup of celery in 1/4 cup butter until tender and added it before baking. I added veggies where I can in every recipe. To be honest I love onions and went through a 25 lb bag in two months.

I also added 1 c of Mexican blend shredded cheese.

**My Review**

Two thumbs way up! This recipe was so good! I must admit the crackers on the top were my favorite. I might trying topping other casserole with them too.My hubby loved it and has asked that we add it to the menu monthly. YUMMO!