January Happenings!

It's cold here in North Carolina. Like 18 degrees. For some of you, that's not cold at all! But for us, it's C O L D ! We had a little snow last night. Like an inch. The anticipation of the snow is what's exciting. The news goes crazy and the stores are packed! Schools close and the kids try to build snowmen out of that little inch of snow. I made snow cream for breakfast. I learned last year that not everyone knows what snow cream is. Really???? I grew up eating it. My mom mixed snow, vanilla flavoring, sugar and milk and made it like a soft ice cream consistency! So, I scooped up some snow this morning and ate it for breakfast! I put some in the freezer for later! I am not a cold weather person so I'm trying to make the best of this weather. How many days until spring?

I love wearing an apron in the kitchen! It keeps my clothes clean and when the grands are over it's so easy to wipe their hands on it. I can pick them up with dirty hands and faces without them rubbing food all over me! Plus, there are some really really cute aprons now and I love how adorable some of the patterns are! Last week my mom brought me one of her vintage aprons. I love it! 

I bought some lanterns for my fireplace mantel at Ikea for a STEAL!! I decided I wanted to use battery operated candles in them so I would have the glow at night without having to worry about remembering to blow the candles out. I researched them and quickly realized that the *Luminara* brand has the most natural looking candles. I found them in a local retail store and for the height I needed, they were $70.00 each. $140.00 plus tax for two candles...Nope! So, I bought them at Bed Bath and Beyond. The brand is *Candle Impressions* and I am impressed! They were about $23.00 each and are programmable. They come on in the evenings about 5:00 and go off five hours later. 

(The little box to the left of the lantern is a Jawbone Jambox Wireless Blue Tooth Speaker. Hubs gave it to me for Christmas and I love it! It plays music off your phone or computer or tablet and sounds great all throughout the room!)

One more thing, a friend shared her hot chocolate recipe on Instagram this week! It sounded so good….. I decided to make it! I brought the mix to work with me today to share and can't wait to see what the guys all think about it! I am not a hot chocolate drinker. It's not that I don't like it, I usually just drink coffee or Diet Coke. I think I will try it today too though to see if it's as good as it sounds!  Here is the recipe!

World's Best Hot Chocolate

Mix:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I use mini-chocolate chips)

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Store mix in an airtight container.

For 4 servings:

2/3 cup cocoa mix

1/4 cup water

4 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large pan on low heat, stir cocoa mix and water until melted.Add milk and beat with whisk until smooth. Heat on low until hot. Add vanilla. Serve.

*For a single serving, add 2 heaping tablespoons of mix in the bottom of a mug. Pour 1/8 cup boiling water (don't measure –just add enough to cover the chocolate) and stir until the chocolate melts. Add milk to the top of your mug and add a splash of vanilla. Microwave until heated.

Have a great week! Bundle up and try to stay warm! It's only 50 days until spring! My buttercups have already peeked through the ground!! :)