Hello! I know...it's been a while :-( I really have been terribly busy with work, personal life and BIRTHDAY PARTIES!! Though I would love to be on the blog EVERY DAY, I just cannot do it right now. I am hoping September will be much more calm.

Recently, I have added a couple of new posts to my shop: 2 dozen Chew Chocolate Chip Cookies and 1 dozen My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies. I am also hoping to post more of my U-Bake line. So far I only have my chocolate chip cookies posted but I'm aiming to post my Snicker doodle and Fudge Brownie mixes before the weekend.

I hope all is well :-)

Tons of hugs and love,

Laura

Two words...

My love. With mine and Paul's 19th wedding anniversary approaching, I find myself thinking about the past more and more, all they way to the day we met. I think about the great times and the quarrels we have had...even some ugly, stupid arguments. But if we didn't have the combination of good times and bad, would we be this happy today? Would we still be in love with one another? Probably not. But I am happy for the challenges we have faced and will accept those we have not faced yet...because we will conquer them together.

I wish for you many more years with the one you love.

Two New Items :-)

Hello!

Well, I haven't yet made the new batch of Lemon Sandwich cookies but I did manage to knock out some White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies and Peanut Buster Blondies. YUM!!! Stay tuned until next week when my only goal I plan on setting (heeheehee) will be my Lemon Sandwich Cookies. Woo Hoo!

Have a sweet day :-)

Lady J Design Creations

Hello my dear friends and bubbly sheeshter!! I HAVE to share with you a brand new shop on Etsy:


ladyjdesigncreations.etsy.com





In this shop you will find beautiful bead work and gourds. YES....GOURDS!!! I just happened to get glimpse of a flower made of beads at a local pharmacy and the cashier told me that it was not for sale but she knew who made it. She then told me that the one I was looking at was beat up. Beat up??? If THAT was beat up, I HAD to see one that wasn't because this "beat up" flower looked great.




I got to meet Jackie, the Ms. Lady J, and learned so much more about her creations. Jackie has won a medal for her work and, not to mention, was featured in two National magazines AND nominated into the 2009 Biltmore Who's who of 2009 book for personal achievements! WOW!!

Please swing by her shop and check out the beautiful work she has posted so far. You will be amazed!!!

As for my lemon sandwich cookies....uuuhhh....I'm editing my already edited recipe and trying again next week ;-)

Something New!

Hello my wonderful friends! I know, I know...where the hell have I been? LOL!! Well, we had Corbin's graduation and his party to attend to plus I wanted to be able to spend time with my nephew while he was here. So things went well and I was able to get some R&R and then it happened.......a drastic reduction in staff....the OT is back!

I've been working a lot lately and hoping we can get fully staffed again QUICKLY! I do love my job but it has been a burden on my shop :-( I'm exhausted when I do have a day off so I have not been creating anything new...until now! I am experimenting with a new recipe today and hoping it goes well so I can add it to my shop...lemon sandwich cookies. Yum! Cool, refreshing lemon perfect for summer time. I've also been thinking about adding my white chocolate macadamia cookies to the shop as well. It has been slow lately and figure a change in line-up might be in order.

So that's it about me and what's going on in my life. I will do my best to keep on top of my blog :-)

Love to all!

Aaawwwww...

I love my little Mag-Anne and love being a new mommy to yet another fur baby...but I sure don't want to be a grandma to any fur babies....so little miss Magi-Anne underwent surgery on Monday. It was best for her health and my sanity ;-)


Daddy (Paul) dropped her off early Monday morning and picked her up early that same evening. I think I irritated Paul with all my texting from work..."Have they called yet?" "Have you heard about Magi-Anne yet?" "Any news?" HAHAHA! Talk about a worried mom! My last text to him was, "I'm really getting worried now..." and two minutes after I sent that I received an email with this picture:



Now...my first expression was of joy...my next was tears rolling down my face of laughter! My poor baby was soooo high on medication that she had no idea what the H E-double L was going on!! Her poor eyes were more bugged out than they normaly are and she just sat there and stared into the back seat the entire time.



I am happy to report that the anesthesia has worn off and she is back to her old spunky self. She is not to be running around right now, yet she doesn't want to listen to me and, apparently, this little turd-nugget thinks she is invincible! Not only is she being her rambunctious self, she is back to chasing the big dogs!! I have to take the big girls our for potty breaks first THEN I can take Magi-Anne...otherwise she thinks it's play time.



Though she had to suffer some minor induced trauma, something very sweet came of it. Sierra and Gypsy could not stand to see their baby sister so "sick" and kept trying to mother her even while she was in my arms. THAT is love ;-)

I'm Baaaaaack!

Helloooo my dear friends :-) Oh my gosh...it feels like forever AND a day that I have been on this blog! Great news (at least for me...mua hahahahaha) is that I'M BACK! Yep! Finished my last OT day on Wednesday AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE WORK THE ENTIRE SHIFT! *doin' the happy dance*

I have spent the last day and a half working on stuff around the house that I have been putting off and taking "Big Black" (my car...hahaha) to get serviced. Poor girl hasn't seen an oil change since January :-( We call her big black because she takes up as much room in the garage as my Jeep Commander did...and she's a car!! Hey...I'm not the only one that names my car. Nope. My husband has named his "The Lady" and our oldest son has named his newest car "Big Sexy". PPfft. PaaaaaaaLEEEEEEEEEZ!!! hahahahahaha!

So now that I have all my chores out of the way I get to play for the next two days. Well, almost. I do have an order to fill tomorrow for a local customer BUT I don't have to bake it while working a million hours at my other job. WooHoo!!! OH...and speaking of baking, I have made some changes in my shop as far as goodies I offer. I have take out all of my chocolate dipped items because it has just become too hot here in Arizona to ship them out. I would rather not have my customers receive something that resembles....well...you know where I'm going with this! HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Instead, I am adding new items like lemon curd muffins and nutty chocolate chip cookies. I will also be adding more U-bake items as well as some macadamia/white chocolate chip cookies AND The Commander's White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies!! You heard me right...LuLu's darling husband shared HIS recipe with me and.....OMG these are to die for! Look for these beauties today as they will be posted in my shop shortly :-)

OH! Before I go...I do have to announce that Corbin has done it again! Just when I think my son cannot surprise me anymore..HE DOES! April 24th was the ROTC awards night and Corbin J. Crosby came out with the most decorations WHICH INCLUDED the Association of The United States Army award. This award is handed to one ROTC participant PER DISTRICT! Sadly, the auditorium sucked for lighting so the picture is crap BUT it shows him being pinned by a retired Colonel....

Ok...it's time for me to go visit all of you WONDERFUL friends who have been ever so patient with me. I am truly grateful to have such fabulous people in my life. Thank you :-)

Love & hugs,

Laura

Growing Up

In 34 days my oldest son, Corbin, will graduate from high school. It seems like it was yesterday that he was running around in diapers and playing with Batman figurines! My son has grown up quite well and I couldn't be more proud of him!! He has done so well through school and in his young personal life so it only makes sense that his graduation gift be something special....something that HE wants. Well, since we couldn't quite hide it from him, he received his graduation gift and is VERY happy.


What? You want to know what it is? LOL! Corbin is now the proud owner of a Buick Park Avenue! He really wanted a new car, especially since he will be starting college soon, so how could I not fulfill his wish? He has been such a wonderful son and I know that will never change. Plus, I feel better now that he is in a larger car ;-) I have have several people ask me if he as "decked" it out or "pimped" his ride...LOL...no, he has not. He loves the car just the way it is. One more thing about Corbin that makes him so special...he has always had this "grown up" sense about him. He is a very special child and I am a privileged mother to be able to say, "This is my son."





So here he is..smiling over his "new ride"...

A Lovely Experience Never To Be Forgotten

What is time? An instance. An indefinite period. An action in a certain period of time

Sadly, my time has been quite scarce and so many important levels of my life have been neglected. With this said, I have made a decision to close one of my Etsy shops; Any Occasion Boutique officially closed this morning. It was a difficult decision to make, but an important one. However, I will continue to carry on with my Laura Lee's Tasty Treats plus will have more time to blog!

Another definition of time is- 'A moment considered as a resource under your control and sufficient to accomplish something'. I did just that with my Any Occasion Boutique and, now, with my Laura Lee's Tasty Treats. I have accomplished what I set out to do, put smiles on the faces of those receiving my cards. Now it is time for me to refocus on my family, friends and Laura Lee's Tasty Treats so that I may, once again, accomplish goals for which I have chosen.

Thank you to all my friends and family for your support and I look forward to many more days and years of sharing experiences.

LOVE TO ALL,

Laura

R & R

Hello everyone!

I am chillin' in San Diego for the next couple of days before I head back to work. I know blogging has been stinky lately and I appreciate every one's support and understanding :-) Since one of the girls at work quite, the rest of our team has to pick up her days so I will be have some long weeks for the next 5-6 weeks. It is going to be even more difficult for me to keep up on my blog but, rest assure, I will be here ;-)

I had have been so crazy busy that, when I heard Paul was going to be in San Diego for work on my normal scheduled days off, I jumped on the opportunity to join him. Well, sort of....he's working and I'm not. HAHAHAHAHAHA! (Sorry, Baby-Face ;-D ). I am going to enjoy these next few days since the next time I will get my normal 4 days off won't be until the end of April and that is because I told work I cannot pick up any shifts since two very important people will be visiting ;-D AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE LADIES!!! LOL!!

Just a quick note to bring you up on some other important events coming up in my life- my oldest son, Corbin, will be graduating high school in May and is getting a wonderful gift....my oldest nephew (Rocki's oldest son) will be flying in from Portland for the graduation. Corbin is so excited!! We all are excited :-D Plus he will be getting something very special from us but I cannot tell....you never know who might be listening. Uuhh, reading. HAHA! So.... good try, Corbin!! ;-)

So that's it for now. I will do my best to check up on the blogs during the week. Have a wonderful week and a fabulous weekend.

Hugs,

Laura

I lost something....

....my energy to keep up with BLOGGING!! OMG! What the f=flip is wrong with me????? I know I am busy but come on! An important part of my life truly is on this blog and I have been ignoring it....but not on purpose. To be quite frank about it (Josh. Cover your ears...er...eyes!), it's pissing me off!

I know I'm busy...blah blah blah...but once a week is BS. Yes. BS! Magi-Anne definitely takes a lot of my time when I am at home (no complaints though!) and then I had some ill men in my house (all you women can probably relate to THAT scene) and work is busier than snaut. So, I truly am sorry that I am not on top of the blogs these days. I tried to make a promise and fell flat on my face so I am not going to promise I will be back tomorrow but I will try my best :-)

Ok. So I bitched a little in tonight's blog and, heck, even had a little pity party for myself (just ate a brownie...YUM!) Maybe it's the earth's tilt. HAHAHAHAHA! Oh man I bust myself up with my stupid jokes! HAH! Speaking of jokes, I will leave you with one......drum roll please (thanks crazy drummer dude...even though those are bongos)

What do you call fish with no eyes?

Fsh.

AAAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Happy Friday!!

A Gift of Love

Life is ever so precious and yet it is taken advantage of every minute of every day. Just yesterday I hit an 8 week old puppy with my car...she ran into the street right in front of me. I was devastated. I thought I killed her but then I heard her crying. I got out of my car and there she was under my car as she began to limp towards a house. I instantly picked her up and began knocking on the door of the house she was headed towards. I felt so horrible yet thankful...I had almost ended this puppies life.

No one answered at the house, even though their door was open, and the neighbor next door just walked away when I tried to talk to him. The only thing I could think of is to take her home, have Paul look at her while I called the vet. I thought then the, if a pet owner could be so irresponsible to allow this little angel to wonder off and NOT have a collar, then maybe she was put in front of my car for a reason.

When I arrived at the vet, the first thing they did was check to see if she was chipped. NO CHIP! That was it. I couldn't take her back to where she almost lost her life so I asked the vet to vaccinate her and check for worms so I could take her home and give her a family.

I would like to introduce to you, Magi-Anne........................................

She is approximately 8 weeks old, her breed is long hair Chihuahua, weighing in at 2.13 pounds. I am so thankful that she is here with us today.

Peek-A-Boo!

Oh my do I feel like a turd!! The last time I posted anything was on 2/6...and that is probably the last time I visited the blogs!!!! Shame on me <:-(

Well, I am back now and ready to cause some trouble...uuuhh...I mean, ready to play nice ;-) It really has been so crazy between going back to work and filling Valentine's orders...not to mention that the hubby was away on business during this time and ump-teen-million things went wrong while he was gone. Whew!!

Now that the "lovers" holiday is over, and I am on my regular shift now, I am free to play in the blogs 4 days out of the week :-) I would love to visit every day, as I have in the past, however my shifts are 12 hours each and my drive time is 1 hour each way so I do not have a lot of time to play during my "work week". I won't complain about the hours since I love my job AND I only work three days a week......how awesome is that? Oooooh but I do miss chatting every day :-( But as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder ;-) Are you fond of me yet? AHAHAHA!!

Well, that's about it. I've just been working, baking and making cards ;-) I wish you all well and I PROMISE to keep up on my blog!

Love you all,

-L

New Items

HELLO EVERYONE!!! It has been quite a busy week for me with starting my job (loving it) and creating some new yummies for the bake shop. Sadly, I have been so busy that I haven't created anything new for the card shop :-( Soon, though. Very soon ;-)

So, some of the goodies I have been working on have to do with pretzels and peanut butter. I've been on a candy kick lately but I do have a baked yummy in the works. More on that later. Mua hahahahaha!

This is my Peanut Butter Chocolate Dipped Pretzel-

It is a pretzel rod dipped in a peanut butter sauce then dipped into melted milk chocolate. It's finished off with a generous drizzle of more peanut butter sauce.

These are my Peanut Butter Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Sandwiches-

They waffle pretzels with peanut butter in between then dipped into melted milk chocolate.

And finally, my White Chocolate Pecan Pretzel Rods-

Pretzel rods are double dipped in premium white chocolate then rolled in chopped pecans.

All of my pretzels in my shop can be made with a choice of chocolates- milk, dark, semi-sweet, or white.

So this is what I have been up to lately. I wish everyone a wonderful weekend!!!

Hugs,

Laura

So Much To Talk About

Where to begin?? Oh. I know...my latest award :-D

I am honored to accept the Lemonade Award from the fabulous Sharon of Mana Moon Studios! This is an insightful award for it brings encouragement to those who may be in a difficult situation...what do we do when life throws us lemons??? We make LEMONADE!

This award could not have come at a better time. Just today I received an unwanted phone call from my vet. My beautiful Sierra (also known as Big Mama) has a very dangerous level of triglycerides...it is so high that she risks going into seizures. We knew that her time with us was getting close to the end but I did not expect to hear what the vet had to say today. Sierra's chance of surviving 2009 is very slim. BUT this is where I take those damn lemons and make sweet lemonade. Sierra has been in our lives since she was 6 weeks old...she has grown up with our children and has been our daughter, sister, protector and very best friend. No one and nothing lives forever...we are so blessed to have this lovely lady in our lives and we are thankful that we still have time with her. So please do not be sad for my Big Mama. Please be happy for the life she has lived and the love she continues to give every single second.

Now the rules- I am to post it on my blog and then pass it on to others. Since all those who I would pass it to have already been awarded with it, I will pass on passing it ;-)

In other news, I am going back to work! Though I am very thankful for the success I am having with my newest shop, I still require a steady income. So, I am going back to work for Rural Metro Corporation which is Rural Metro Fire Department and Southwest Ambulance. I am excited to be going back and even more excited that I will be working 3 days a week so I have plenty of time to work on my shops!!

Finally...FOOD! I have attempted to duplicate the Oreo! Yes...Oreo. You know that yummy, delicious, cream filled cookie sandwich that I love so much, especially crumbled on ice cream or dipped in milk. It's the cookie that, if I had them in the house, they would last only a minute? I mean...you know? The Oreo? HAH! Anyhoo...I almost did it!!! I have posted the copy-cat in my bake shop and, though they do not taste 100% like the Oreo, they taste pretty darn good ;-)

So...that's about it! Thanks for stopping by :-D

Hugs,

Laura

AND THE WINNER IS......

When I was a young girl, I used to love roller skating............WHAT is everyone screaming about? OOOOhhhhh. You want to know who the winner of my Black Tie Cookie bar give away is? Well then- the lucky winner is........................

SHERRY SMYTH!!! (yaaaahhhhhhhhhh- and the fans go wild!!!) Congratulations, Sherry!!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated and spread the word of my give away. It is truly appreciated :-D It is wonderful people like yourselves who make the world a happier place!!

Big hugs,

Laura

It's a Give Away!

****UPDATE**** ***DING DONG ALERT*****

Hello my fabulous friends! Well, it has been pointed out that I do not have my end date visible. OOPS! Come on people!!! You can't read my mind??? HAHAHAHA!! AAAhhhh yes. I'm a ding dong! The end date is this Sunday, January 25th and I will announce the winner then ;-)

I am holding my first ever give away on my blog; "Not Even A Crumb Left". Since I offer so many different things in my "treats" shop it was a little difficult to think of what to give. Then it hit me...just about everyone loves chocolate so what better to give away than my Black Tie Cookie Bars!

My Black Tie Cookie Bar is a delicious moist dark chocolate cookie dough with scrumptious premium white chocolate chips mixed in then baked into a cookie bar. As soon as it comes out of the over, layers of creamy milk chocolate is added on top and smoothed out to create a heavenly chocolaty top. This is the chocolate lovers dream bar!

The rules are quite simple- just leave a comment on this post letting me know you are interested in the give away. You have the opportunity to double your entry if you add the above picture in your next post and give a short "blurb" about it. That's it!

The lucky winner will be chosen by a random name generator off of Random.com.

I would like to give a great big shout out to the fabulous Mz. Sharon for making the give away badge. Isn't she just the greatest??

Good luck to all and have a "sweet" day!

Hugs,
Laura

Still not telling!

Ok, so maybe I promised to tell a little secret but the secret is not ready to be told yet...heeheehee! BUT, I can tell you that I finally posted my first dry cookie mix on Etsy and Art Fire today! Check out this bad-ass container! Oh yes. It's a Chinese take out box! All the ingredients are nestled inside, all secure in their own little bags, along with mixing and baking instructions. I'm anxious to see how many hits I get on it AND if it sells quickly.

I was a little nervous about the shipping ($9.80 priority mail flat rate). Due to the contents, it is quite heavy and if I were to send it any other way, the cost would be even higher. Oh well. We don't know if we don't try. Right?

I also posted a new item in my shops- Heavenly Marshmallow Pops.

Soft, fluffy marshmallows are encased in a shell of premium white chocolate and chopped pecans. These are a little pricier than my other marshees but the ingredients used on these are also pricier. Each pop is individually wrapped and tied with ribbon. Right now I am purchasing the marshmallows but, sometime next week, I am going to attempt to make my own. There are really not that difficult, just time consuming for little puffs of cloud ;-)

So, this is it for me today. I have a lot planned, both in the kitchen and around the house. I wish everyone a very wonderful weekend!!!

Big hugs,

Laura

New Name!

Hello everyone :-)

Just wanted to give you a heads up and let you know that I am changing my blog name. Yep! Sure am :-D My new Blog name will be Sweets 'N Greets. Get it? Baked goods....cards....??? Hello? HAHAHAHA!

Anyhoo...just wanted to share the news. I will be posting WHY I am changing it in the next couple of days. Hhmmm...wonder why???? Gotcha all guessing? GOOD! HAH!

Take care and have a great day :-D

Hugs,
Laura

I'M ON A TEAM!

Yep! You "read" me correctly ;-) I am on my very first team and I am totally excited about it. In fact, I'm so excited that I had to blog about it! I have joined Team EEAT- Etsy's Edible Arts Team and today was my official day as a member. I am looking forward to all the great things being on this team will bring :-D

In other news...I am sending out 20 orders tomorrow of mini Snickerdoodles and mini Chocolate Chip Cookies as part of a sampler box. Just another way to promote the shop ;-)

Also, I am going to dedicate this weekend to ONLY card making (that is if I do not have any baking orders). Valentine's Day is approaching quickly and I REALLY need to build up my stock in the shop. I did manage to get one card done yesterday but haven't posted yet. That will be coming soon :-D

Finally, the nasty spider bite is calming down! Yay! It is still quite infected but not as bad as it could have been. I visited the doctor today and, though she is pleased with the progress, still cut me open to try and get as much of the poison out that the medication has not killed yet. I am a bit sore but, in the end, it is worth the pain. I want to send a million thank you's, hugs, and kisses to all of my wonderful friends for your caring thoughts. I love you all very much :-D

Hugs,
Laura

I taste delicious!

Once again, I have been absent from the scenes of BlogLand but I have a good excuse this time! Unfortunately, over the weekend, I was bit by a spider...the doctor believes a Brown Recluse. Fortunately, I got to my doc in time and started treatment right away. The infection is already calming down :-D I have a great doc and she deserves a HUGE applause! Thanks Dr. G!!!!

Now, as for this ugly bastard...I am trying to not be mad at the spider but it pisses me off that I had to be bit! I guess I taste that good or else I was invading it's home. I'm sure it's the latter ;-) I wasn't sure if I was going to blog about it but I wanted to get it out there that these little buggers are actually quite dangerous. The amount of harm they can do to a human is great, and can even end in fatality if not treated right away. These spiders usually reside in dark places so BE CAREFUL where you put your hands, feet, etc. They have been known to take cover UNDER covers so please check your bed every night.

I know this may have scared some of you but I only posted because I care about all of you and want you to be safe :-D Because I went to the doctor when I did, my recovery is going well and, at this point, my biggest boohoo is the effects of the medication and not the bite! But, as I have told my family and a few friends, I would rather have the side effects of the meds than the effects of the poison. So, remember to always look before sticking your hands and feet in dark, hidden areas AND always look around the seating areas at parks and other outdoor places.

That's all :-D Have a wonderful day!

Big hugs,

Laura

Happy New Year everyone :-D I've been a bit absent from the blogs lately due to TONS of chores around the house and thinking of new ideas for my shops!

Today is a bit rainy here in ugly El Mirage...I mean beautiful El Mirage :-O HAHA! I'm not afraid to say that the tiny city in which I reside is quite ugly. It really it tiny at 11 square miles, considering my neighbor city (Phoenix) stretches 475 square miles! Ahhh, but I won' t bitch too much about this pie hole and the irresponsible police force and city counsel since I have a roof over my head and food in my cupboards ;-)

The main reason for this blog, other than slightly slam El Mirage, is to announce a new item I will be selling in my bake shop. Coming soon you will be able to purchase cookie, brownie, and cake mixes. The only thing that will need to be added will be the wet ingredients. I am pondering on adding the vanilla if I can find tiny containers...kind of like the little medicine cups but with lids.

My idea is focused more on the taste of the finished product so the packaging may not be so beautiful. To keep it as cute as possible, the packaging will consist of the ingredients being placed in separate bags and then enclosing in a Chinese take out box; the will have a sticker of my shop banner. This adorable idea came from the sweet Sharon of Mana Moon Treasures! Thank you Sharon!!!

So this is my next adventure in the bake shop. OK, and I will divulge a little about the up coming "lovers" holiday...I have a few things up my sleeve that I will be adding in the form of hearts ;-)

But before I go I must add a very special notice about a very special give away- Yes, Ms. Sharon of Mana Moon Treasures is holding a great give away on her blog!

YAAAHHHH (and the fans go wild) :-D What makes this so special is not just the three chances you have to win but the fact that the prize is an original Woven Wire Beaded Bracelet! You know you want this bracelet. So what are you waiting for? Don't walk...RUN over to Sharon's blog at http://manamoon-studios.blogspot.com/ and enter to win!

Have a wonderful day, stay dry if it is raining or snowing in your part of the woods, and enjoy :-D

Hugs,

Laura