Oreo Cookies & Cream Candy Recipe

Oreo Cookies and Cream Candy

1 (18oz) pkg. Oreo cookies

1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese

1 (14oz) pkg. ready to melt white chocolate, such as Wilton's Candy Melts in White

Set aside four whole cookies. Place remaining cookies in the work bowl of a food processor; process until crumbly. Add cream cheese.  Pulse until dough begins to stick together.

Shape into a large ball and wrap in waxed paper.  Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  Cover one cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Remove from refrigerator and roll into small teaspoon-size balls; place on prepared cookie sheet.  Place cookie sheet in freezer for 30 minutes.

Following manufacturer's instructions, melt chocolate. Dip each ball into melted chocolate and return to cookie sheet.  In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse reserved cookies; sprinkle on top of chocolate covered candy while still warm.

Return candy to freezer for no more than 30 minutes.  Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.  Enjoy! :)

Chocolate Coconut Candy Recipe ...

Chocolate Coconut Bon Bon Recipe

1 14oz. bag coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 C chopped pecans
2 bag of chocolate chips
1/2 bar parafin

Mix coconut, milk and pecans the night before rolling and chill in freezer for ease of rolling.   Roll coconut mixture into one inch balls - or the size you like.  Chill again while preparing chocolate coating.

Melt parafin and chocolate chips separately.  Melt chips in microwave dish for one minute on high, stir and then heat at 30 second intervals, stirring in between till melted.  Melt parafin in pan on stove top on low just till melted.  Don't heat parafin too high or it will burn chocolate.  Once melted stir parafin into melted chocolate.

Roll coconut balls around in chocolate with a fork and then place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.  When full, place sheet in freezer to set.  Candy must be stored in the frig or freezer. Enjoy!

Even Thrifters Buy New ... Occasionally :)

So, it is the Christmas season and we may not be able to buy every gift from yard sales and thrift stores, but that does not mean we cannot find screaming good deals.  I am not a Black Friday shopper ... can't stand the mayhem, but I still find good deals on the new items I need to buy.

One good place to check for great deals and inexpensive shipping is Overstock.com.  Also, Woot.com and Slickdeals.com have daily deals.  And, of course, there is Ebay.  Today I was searching for a black turban as part of a costume for my youngest son.  On Amazon I found one for $7.99, but shipping was $5.95 ... ouch. I cannot abide paying almost as much for shipping as for the merchandise. I then checked Ebay and found the exact, new turban for $3.99 plus $4 shipping ... the cost of just the turban through Amazon.  However, if you find a good deal on Amazon, for which they handle the fulfillment, and you are purchasing $25 or more you will receive free shipping.

What are your ideas for finding good deals during holiday shopping?

Annual Candy Making Day

Almost every year since some time in the 80's we have had an annual candy making party with our friend, Shelly.  Usually, it is the day after Thanksgiving.  This year we made hundreds of Chocolate Covered Coconut, Buckeye (chocolate covered peanutbutter), Cookies and Cream and White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Candies.  They are mostly made to give as gifts during the holidays, but we do consume our fair share of them. :) 

My oldest daughter and son-in-law braved the crowds early Friday morning then stopped by to help with the candy.  Youngest daughter worked long in the kitchen keeping the chocolate melted and much more (don't tell her this photo is here, although I think she looks lovely in it).We always watch old classic movies like White Christmas as we work.

What are some of your holiday traditions?

Shop pics and more ...

So, I finally took some pics of my booth.  Things are a little off kilter there as I had to move the baker's rack over to make room for my friends long Scan Design sideboard, but here they are.  Hoping to make a bundle today.

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving with those you love!  It was busy here.  Our expected 18 dwindled to 14, but still things were lively, the company fun and the food delicious.















Also included, randomly, is my pink cowgirl ironing board cover.  I bought it several years ago from a gal on Etsy.  Love it.  Think I'm a cowgirl at heart.  Born in Dallas and spent till 6 in TX, then on to OK till 14 and then rest of growing up was in MO.  Guess this cover helps me get in touch with my inner cowgirl. :) 























Hope you and your family are enjoying Disney, Angela.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone!

Christmas is coming...

 I'm joining the Linky Parties at http://shabbyvintagejunk.blogspot.com/ and http://vintagejunkinmytrunk.typepad.com/vintage-junk-in-my-trunk/.  Congrats on your 100th posts, Ladies!

Sold these items on Ebay recently.  This sweet vintage Santa Advent calendar was made in Denmark.  Isn't he cute?  I found three of them at a thrift shop fro $2 each. They sold for about $7.00.  Not a great flip, but okay.

 Ran into a yard sale with a large box of new Lefton figurines.  I was not familiar with them, so only bought 15 at $1 each to test on Ebay.  Eight sold at around $3, two for around $5-6, but the jolly little Santa sold for almost $25.  Sure wish I would have purchased more Santas. :)

 I mentioned in a previous post that I was reopening a booth at a resale shop.  This time I have a larger booth, 17'x4'.  Keeping it full is keeping me hopping, but that is a good problem.  So far I have sold a dining room set, dining table, two wooden trunks, bar stools and many smaller home decor items.  I still need to get pictures of it to post here.  Will put my camera in my purse now. :)

Looks like we will be getting new floors in part of our house just after Thanksgiving.  We had laminate floors installed two years ago, lovely variegated light maple.  A few weeks ago an icemaker valve failed and flooded, damaging floors in three rooms.  Of course, we have to replace all the rooms adjoining those.  To complicate things, Wilsonart is no longer making laminate flooring (this is the brand we purchased two years ago).  So, we cannot match the existing flooring exactly.  We did find something we like just about as much as the original.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

 Hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Enjoy your family.  Laugh a lot.
Blessings,  Leah :)

P. S.  (I'm linking toThrift Share Monday over at Selena's here:  http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com/apron_thrift_girl/  )

Harry Potter World and more...

Well time has gotten away from me.  My last post was about heading to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  We had a blast, but boy was it crowded, especially the shops.  I only went inside one which was Honeydukes, the sweets shop.  I did not last long, but grabbed my youngest and headed out the door to find more space, leaving the braver of our crew to wait in line to pay.  No one was patient enough to stand in the line for the Wand Shop, which would have been hours.

The only ride I rode was The Forbidden Journey.  My youngest was a little freaked out by the Dementors that fly almost up to your face, but it was a pretty great ride.  Four of our crew rode The Dragon Challenge, which is the large roller coaster, but I forgot to ask them how it was.

The butter beer and pumpkin juice were yummy, as was our meal at The Three Broomsticks, which had such an authentic feel in it's decor.  Just walking through "Harry Potter Land" was an experience.  Loved looking at the architecture and fake snow on the roofs.  I would recommend it, but be prepared for much crowding and try to go at a less busy time.

Guess where we are going Friday?

Hubby has declared this Friday "Family Day".  He loves our local theme parks as much as our kids do, so a few times each year he contacts all the kiddos (after he talks to me, of course, cause he is great! :) and offers to pay their way into a favorite park if they can make it home for a "Family Day".  So far, I don't think we have had a no-show.

So, guess where we are going this Friday?  Somewhere that has a very popular new exhibit.  Can you guess?  Check out the photos:

 Have you guessed it?

 It is based on a recent book and movie rage.












Okay, here it is ...

Three of my older kids and my husband have read the Harry Potter books.  We have all seen the movies and now we will experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for the first time together.  I know it will be fun.  For me it is just being together as a family that is so important.  As my children grow up and leave home I so cherish these times.  Remember this, younger mommies, when your tribe makes you want to pull your hair out.  It is just a season.  Try to enjoy them all you are able.

Blessings,  Leah :)

A "New To Me" Buffet ...

At left is the "new" buffet I bought recently at Gotta Have It Pre Owned Furniture in Casselberry, FL.  It is by Stanley and I love it.  It is here in time for Thanksgiving, which is great!  It does need a few tweaks.  Some of the drawers do not glide smoothly - hoping some soap on the rails will fix that.  I think I will even keep the color as it matches my color schemes of warm autumn tones.

I love finding quality furniture at thrifty prices.  Granted, yard sales often provide quality furniture at thriftier prices, but I have been looking for this style buffet for a year or more and I did not want to do any refinishing. Gotta Have It is the store where I recently reopened a resale booth.  I was a customer long before becoming a vendor.  I have purchased couches, dressers and other smaller items there.  Prices are pretty good here compared to other resale shops.  I will be sharing this thrifty find over at Selena's here:
http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com/apron_thrift_girl/

Hope you are having a lovely autumn!

Blessings,  Leah :)

Thankfulness...

Selena over at ApronThriftGirl shared on thankfulness today.  After reading her post I started thinking of all the people for whom I am thankful.  Of course, I am very thankful for my wonderful husband and children.  They are such a blessing in my life!

I am also thankful for my dear friend Hazel. We met in a home school cooperative when our children were younger. Then our friendship revolved around the children and what era in history we were studying. Now we are great junking pals and generally just there for each other.  Thanks, Hazel, for being such a great friend .... for all you do  and just for being there ... you are cherished and appreciated!  Oh, I am also thankful for my blogging friends.  It is fun to be able to share with you and I would love to hear back anytime.

Now, it is your turn to think of someone for whom you are thankful and maybe even jot them a line to tell them so.  Hope your November is going splendidly!

Leah :)

How To Find Thrift Stores in Your Area....

This information comes from Van over at Thriftcore ... http://www.thriftcore.com 

She is a jackpot of information on thrifting.  Below is just a tad of what she has to share.  Be sure and check out her sight above.

How To Find Thrift Stores in Your Area....

• Yellowpages.com and Superpages.com
• The Thrift Shopper has a National Thrift Store Directory 
• The Goodwill & Salvation Army sites have Store Locators
• Go to Maps.google.com and type in "Thrift Stores," then your city name and state. A map will load on the right, with a salmon colored dot highlighting each thrift store.