Pink, sparkly disco balls....

  Visualization....it is one the keys to success...in my mind anyway.  This week was one riddled with illness,  and one of the main "sickies" was me. Ugh. Being sick and being Mom is not easy. Thank God for my cooperative Hubby who takes on the role of Mr. Mom so seamlessly, I begin to wonder why I stayed home all those years ago and not him!  

  Anyway, one of the things that I did yesterday (besides buy Ultra Tums) was to visualize....happier times, happier things.  

What might that be?  Well for me, turning my thoughts to my Birthday party last year is just the cure I need to take my mind off my aching tummy. So after I took a nap in the afternoon (It hurts so much it keeps me up at night), I took the time to plan my 2nd Annual Club night with the girls.  3 months early.  Just designing it and sending the invites out made me feel better since I imagine I will be as healthy as a horse by then. 

   It has a pink, sparkly disco ball on the front of it, with pink balloons on the envelope and all the info for the party. (I did it at Punchbowl.com...one of the classier invite websites out there) Pink sparkly disco balls....just the cure for a tummy ache!

Gotta go take a tums....

Loudly yours,

Alicia

The best way to do death....

.....by Chocolate, that is!  It is that time of the year when we have our Annual Choir Party and it has become tradition that I bring Death by Chocolate, so I thought I would share my version of the recipe.

Here is what you need:

2 packages of this:

(Prepare as directed but with milk instead of water)

 2 big or 4 small packages of

3 containers of this:

3 tsp of this:

3 x 1/3 cup of this:

Small or medium bag of these:

And a bunch of drops of this (or any peppermint extract)

Prepare the brownies according to the box, except use milk instead of water. Cool and set aside. (mik, eggs, oil)

While the brownies are baking, prepare the pudding according to the box. (milk)

Put the chocolate chips in a blending machine of any sort or crush with a rolling pin and wax paper. Add the peppermint drops and mix until blended well.  Prepare to taste.

Take the whipping cream and put it in a blender or kitchen aid mixer. (I have a Blendtec and it whips up in about 25 seconds) Add 1/3 a cup of sugar for every 2 cups of cream.  Add 1 tsp of vanilla to every 2 cups as well.

After the browning mix cools, start making layers!

BROWNIE

PUDDING

WHIPPED CREAM

CRUSHED CHOCOLATE CHIPS

repeat 2 or 3 times 

...and you will get:

aHHHHHHHHHH! The ULTIMATE Chocolate lover's delight....DEATH BY CHOCOLATE!

Bon Apetite!

Loudly Yours,

Alicia

Our Anniversary Tree

   Today marks the 21st year of the Anniversary of day I married the Man that I love.  It was not raining that day, but it had snowed the night before and it was covered in a beautiful blanket of snow.  It was perfect, except I originally wanted a fall wedding....oh well.  Such is life with its twists and turns!  Our Wedding Day was beautiful in many ways.  We were lucky enough to have a free choir singing and a beautiful day outside (it was so sunny!), so it was bonus when we got the chance to be married with Christmas Trees, a Manger Scene, gold Altar Cloth and Poinsettias.  We begged Fr. Joe to leave them up and thankfully, he did.  So, every year, we leave our Christmas Tree up until after our Anniversary, to honor the memory of a family begun on that special day!

Loudly yours,

Alicia

ps- This year I started a tradition of putting the Christmas Cards on the Tree.  I love it and will do it again next year....it was the tape's fault....since it got itself lost! ;)