Ever have a "MADE" day?

A MADE day you know the kind of day where you have to MAKE yourself do everything?
I think they call it having the blues, the blahs, a pity party...I could go on but you get the idea.
I've had one today and just for no reason at all I'm gonna show you the extent of what I literally had to MAKE myself do.

I didn't feel well when I got up so I MADE myself go get some tea

surely a little hot tea would make me feel better

Then I MADE myself have some breakfast

toasted wheat english muffin and peanut butter

and my medicine

Then I finally MADE myself get out of this stool and off the computer

even though it was what I felt like doing

Then I MADE myself make the bed

you know to keep me from crawling back in it and pulling the covers over my head

then I MADE myself get up out of this floor 

because you know I just plopped myself into the middle of it and cried.

I cannot explain why making the bed made me cry but it did

I guess you just need to cry sometimes... lots going on around here and I think it just spilled out of me today.  Literally spilled out..in the form of tears pouring and streaming for quite a while.

I finally said "Samma...you are being ridiculous! You are very blessed! Get up!"

So I MADE myself shower...and aren't you ever so glad I didn't take a picture of myself in the shower? 

You're welcome!

And I MADE myself get dressed...in something other than yoga pants

then I took a picture.  Now folks I absolutely positively hate hate hate having my picture taken much less take one of myself. But we're being brutally honest today and I've never considered myself to be be very photogenic like at all.  I just look all weird and dumb and fat...hey..it's the truth and you'll see today is no exception but I'm dressed.

Then I MADE myself put on some makeup and comb my hair and not put it in a pony tail and you know what... I still feel like H E double hockey sticks! 

eh, so much for trying to make yourself feel better this way!

Do you have those days...please tell me I'm not the only weirdo out there??

On a side note, I think at my doctors appt. that's coming up we're gonna have a little chat about this Graves Disease and the corresponding "blues" that goes along with it.  **sigh**

well... there's always chocolate

I grabbed these little things because those bananas were about to reach the point of no return

put a piece of parchment paper on that cookie sheet

sliced up those bananas

slap some peanut butter on them and hey for fun...I made them double deckers

that right there is a tray full of goodness already!

now melt about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with some milk

(yeah, that was way too much milk..I had to add a LOT more chocolate chips)

Microwave it in 15 second intervals until melted and dipping consistency 

pick those up and just give them a good chocolate bath

put them back on the tray and for grins and giggles

crush up some plain M&M's and sprinkle on top

Pop them in the freezer...thank me later! :0)

Since I don't like to waste things and I had a lot of chocolate left over

I put some peanut butter on the ole' Ritz cracker

dunked that baby in chocolate too

until I ran out of chocolate and then I popped these in the refrigerator until they hardened.

It was good but still bummed out but then this came in my email

and the blues were temporarily forgotten!

Yep... I won another House Party and this one is for HGTV and House Hunters...two of my favorite tv things!!   I can't wait until Feb. 17th.  We're gonna have snacks, play a new HGTV House Hunters Bingo game, maybe have some prizes, drink a little wine, guess which house they pick, discuss on end about why we think they picked the right/wrong house and NOT answer a single man's question about "why do you like this crazy show so much?"  Because we just do..that's why!!! 

If you are in my neck of the woods around Feb. 17th, then just come on over!! We'll be partying!

And now I think I'll go sample one of those bananas because I'm still feeling "blah".

Keeping it real today!

Peace, Love & Yummies!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad..but it's really a dessert but it's called a salad

So today we're making a little goody called Strawberry Pretzel Salad.  Actually we made it Sunday but it's just now getting posted.  Yeah Yeah... I've been trying to get caught up on a few things around these parts!!    Anywho.... I used to make this salad all the time back in the ole' Kentucky but for some reason I just haven't made it much since.  I don't know why because I totally love it but you know the one thing I did figure out....you really kinda need to make this waaaay ahead of time or the night before and not 2 hours before everyone is gonna be at your house to eat!!  Jello is a fickle lady my friends.

dump in 2 small boxes of strawberry jello

add 2 cups of boiling water

Stir it all up really good

now dump in 2 boxes of frozen strawberries

Pop that in the refrigerator and let it be chillin'

grab yourselves 3 cups of pretzels and SMASH EM'

take out the frustrations of your heart and soul and just beat the tar out of the pretzels

I suppose you could use a food processor but where's the fun in that??

dump the crushed pretzels in a bowl and add 1/2 cup sugar

and 1/2 stick melted butter

mix well

now take that mixture and press into a glass dish

(little hint: a regular 9x13 isn't quite big enough)

Pop that in a 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes

Remove and set aside to cool

Grab a 8oz cream cheese (at room temperature), 9 oz tub of the cool whip-not the un-cool whip make sure it's cool and if you aren't sure ask your kids because they know what's cool and what' not

but probably saying things are cool isn't really cool anymore so nevermind...

oh and you need 1 cup sugar 

(no craisins needed they just invaded the photo)

whip those up together really well

like really well...make sure that sugar is all blended into the cream cheese and cool whip

now flop it over by that cooled pretzel bottom crust

Yes, please make sure it has cooled off completely

flop it on the crust in big ole' blops

spread it out carefully..don't get all rough with it now or you'll mess up the bottom and you'll have crust in your filling and filling in your crust and the whole world will become a mixed up mess

save the world...be gentle

now hopefully that jello is the consistency of egg whites and if it is let's spread it over the top of the filling.  Mine was not....I rushed it.  I told you jello is a fickle girl and will break your heart and make your crust soggy and overflow in your refrigerator.

yep pour it all on

can we all see that this pan isn't quite big enough???

carefully move this to the refrigerator to chill

Now make this salad.....I thought I'd made this for you before but apparently not so I'm gonna attach the recipe right here

It's called Autumn Chopped Salad and really it's to die for!!

No really I had it Sunday and Wednesday this week and if I had any more bacon or feta cheese I'd be having it again tonight.  It's THAT good!

Now I mixed up some onions and some jalapenos in a pan with some buttah...

and sauteed the daylights out of them.

We mixed them in with the roasted potatoes.

Here are the men grilling....you know manly things.

our assortment of meats.   We had friends over and everyone just brought over the meat they wanted.

the salad again.. I really cannot express to you to the love you will have for this salad!!

now it's time to eat

some bread, some meat (ours was a buffalo steak), some potatoes with onions & jalapenos, that yummy salad and some nice bread served up best with some iced tea and lots of good friends!!!

but now back to that pretzel salad because here it is

I put a little topper of cool whip on it because in my world 

everything tastes better with a little cool whip!

a little more love for the Strawberry Pretzel Salad and oh, how about the 

link to the printable.  Now go make your own I'm hungry and I have to clean the overflowed jello out of the refrigerator too!!

What's something you used to make all the time but somehow it slipped your mind?

Drop me a comment and tell me about it then go make it for your family!!