Want one of these?

I love, love, love my Kitchen Aid mixer.

So much so that during a recent game with our church's youth group (a game resembling the old TV version of The Newlywed Game but played with mothers and one of their children) my daughter was asked, "If your mother were to describe herself as one of the appliances in your home, which one would it be?"

Well. That was a no brainer for Kat or me to answer.  My Empire Red Kitchen Aid mixer, of course!

And, I've often said that if the house were to catch on fire, I'd do my best to grab my mixer on the way out of the burning inferno.  Right after my kids and cat, of course.

So...

Want to win one?

Go visit my blogger friend, Sandy, at Reluctant Entertainer, for your chance to win.  Hurry... the contest ends this Friday at midnight, September 23, 2011!  While you're there, take a look around the rest of Sandy's website... you'll love her outlook on entertaining and life!

And the winner is...

The Queen Mum was instructed to choose a number between 1 and 12 (the number of comments left on my 100th post) and she chose the number EIGHT.

And...

The...

Winner...

Is...

Lorie of MeMe Lorie's.

Congratulations, Lorie! Please send me an email with your address and a package of a few of my favorite things will be on its way very soon.

Confessions: Just thinking...

After paying more than $400 to have our children’s teeth “sealed” last year, how could those same diligent teeth-brushing children each have a cavity? Shouldn’t last year’s dental work come with some sort of a warranty? And, shouldn’t the fillings be free?

It rained today. The day I chose to go antique shopping with my parents in Salado. Aren’t we supposed to be experiencing the “100-year drought” in central Texas? I’m really not complaining about the rain. We do need it. But, seriously… today?

Did you know that I could be a grandmother? While shopping today, someone asked my parents if they had any great grandchildren yet. Before they could answer, I piped in with, “No, because I’m not old enough.” That conversation returned to my thoughts some hours later. I began doing the math. IF I’d married younger. (But still of “legal” age.) IF I’d had my children younger. And IF they’d then married young, too. Well, yes, I could be a grandmother. Alrighty then. Depressing.

Do you know what happens when you dream about blowing your nose? I do.

What does a high school honors chemistry class and baking cookies have in common? One large project that involves more work for me than it does for my kiddo. And more cookies in this house than are needed. (Recipe at the end of the post.)

The Queen Mum and Dad are planning to leave next week. I wish they’d stay longer. I’ve gotten use to having another “wife” in the house.

Don’t you just love the way my brain works? Scary, isn’t it?

Guess what? This is my 100th post! IF you're still reading... congratulations! Leave a comment and I'll randomly select one winner to receive a prize box full of some of my favorite things. One entry per person, please. Comments will close at midnight Central Time on Thursday. The winner will be announced on Friday.

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Comments are now closed. Winner will be announced later today!

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Finally, as promised...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups regular flour (If using self-rising, omit baking soda and salt)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups oats (uncooked)
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter,sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and chocolate chips; mix well.

Drop dough by generous tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 13-15 minutes or until light golden brown on edges. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

And the winner is...

I went to Random Generator and told it to pick a number for me. Out popped #11. So, I counted down through the comments to find winner #11.

It is Anonymous. Except, Anonymous isn't anonymous to me. Because of the comment, I know that it is really the Queen Mum... my mom! And, since I know for a fact that she already has this CD (because I gave it to her!), I've decided to send her a box of the very special Lamme's candy instead. (Don't worry, Queen Mum, I've got lots of other "prizes" waiting for you when you arrive next month!)

However, I still have the Martina McBride CD sitting on my desk. What should I do with it?

What's that? Have Random Generator select another winner? Really???

Okay!

This time, Random Generator selected #3... Nadine!

Congratulations, Nadine! Send me an email with your address and I'll get this CD off to you so you can begin getting into the holiday spirit with the beautiful music.

And for the rest of you... for your listening pleasure...

It has begun. (And a Give Away!)

Time's up! The winner will be announced later this evening.

I like to get the holidays started as early as possible. And I like to keep them going as long as possible - sometimes 'til the middle of January.

I start listening to the occasional Christmas song sometime around mid-October. It's my inspiration. My all time favorite holiday music is this CD:

And, once I hear the song "Christmas Canon" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, it's "game on" for me.

Immediately, I get the itch to start filling my freezers with holiday baking. After all, there's nothing worse than standing in the kitchen at midnight, waiting for that last batch of cookies to finish baking in preparation for a holiday event the next day. It's much easier to grab a package out of the freezer, arrange them neatly on a tray and go to bed!

I have to admit, I am a little behind on my baking this year. I still have about half of my planned baking to complete. (Don't even try to make me feel guilty about being behind... I'm good enough at punishing myself with guilt and pressure!)

Did I mention that my Christmas shopping happens year 'round? I like to buy the "perfect gift" as I find it. Usually at a much better price than what last minute shopping produces.

And then there's the decorating. It's starting today in our home. I'll wrap up the inside decorating tomorrow. Bud and I will be scaling ladders and climbing through bushes on Saturday morning to get all the outdoor lights in place. (Well, okay... only Bud will be scaling ladders. I like to keep my feet on the ground.) Don't worry, we don't turn on any lights until Thanksgiving evening.

We also hold off decorating the Christmas tree until the day after Thanksgiving. Not because I have anything against decorating it sooner. But, Bud's mom spends Thanksgiving with us and we like to include her in the festivities. She's the official Master Fluffer of the tree boughs. And she's good at it!

Once the tree is fully fluffed and festooned, we turn on all the lights. Inside and out.

In honor of the beginning of my holiday season, I'm giving away one copy of Martina McBride's "White Christmas" CD***. To win, leave a comment and tell me about your family's favorite Christmas tradition. One entry per person, please. Entries will be accepted through midnight Saturday. The winner will be announced Sunday evening.

(***Martina McBride is not sponsoring this contest. She is not a personal friend of mine. I wish. She doesn't even know I exist.)

And the winner is...

"M"

Yes, I know who you are and your chocolate "Longhorns" will be on their way soon. And, as I promised... this is not any ordinary chocolate!

Lammes Candies is an Austin original. Now in its second century of candy making, Lammes (pronounced like "lamb's") was founded by William Wirt Lamme in 1878. Originally called the Red Front Candy Factory, the store was located in the 800 block of Congress Avenue - the main business street in Austin, Texas. Although William Lamme lost the business in a poker game in 1885, his son, David Turner Lamme, Sr., came to Austin to repay the gambling debt of $800 and reclaim the store as his own. On July 10, 1885, Lammes Candies officially opened and has been family owned and operated ever since.

The company's world famous "Texas Chewie Pecan Praline," was first produced by David Lamme, Sr., in 1892 after seven years of recipe tasting. The ingredients are still the same: pecans, corn syrup, sugar, mild butter, and salt. In the beginning, pecans from the trees along the Colorado River in Austin were used to produce the praline -- Lammes continues to follow this tradition today, using only Texas grown pecans. The "Texas Chewie" is still the number one selling product with over 2,000 pounds produced daily. People, you can't even imagine the butter, chewy, pecan-nutty goodness of this candy!

What can take the "Texas Chewie" over the top? Starting in the 1960's, the yummy pecans and chewy caramel of the "Texas Chewie" were coated in a premium chocolate to create the famous "Longhorns." Candy just doesn't get any better than this!

For those of you who didn't win and don't have the blessing of living in God's country (that would be Texas!)... Lammes Candies will ship any of their candies right to your door. Visit Lammes' website - I'm certain you'll find something you'll like!