I saw this recipe over on Picky Palate and couldn’t wait for an opportunity to try them. I had such an opportunity Sunday night and jumped at the chance. They are so good and perfect for bringing to any holiday gathering. If you’re looking for a quick and easy Christmas treat recipe, try this one! It’s sure to please everyone!

Candy Cane Kiss Centered Brownie Bites

1 box of brownie mix 9×13 inch size
1 bag of Candy Cane Hershey Kisses
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 original candy canes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and scoop into a mini muffin tin pan that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray, about 3/4 way full.

Press kisses into center of brownie batter. Do not push all the way to bottom (some of the tip should stick out the top).

Bake for 20-23 minutes or until brownies are cooked through. Let cool completely.

After brownie bites are cool, melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30-second intervals until smooth and melted. Stir in cream until silky smooth. Dip tops of brownies into melted chocolate. Then, sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Enjoy!

Well…as some of you may know via Facebook, the biggest news for me right now is that I will soon be EMPLOYED! Praise the Lord! As you know this has been a long time coming. I am so exited to start working again that it’s not even funny.

I’ll be working in Guest Services at Give Kids The World Village, which is where I have been volunteering each week since June. It’s been cool to see how God has worked this out. The guy who’s position I’ll be filling was one of 2-3 staff who I worked with almost every Wednesday night. He had just finished law school when he started at GKTW and was looking for a job the whole time he was there. When he resigned he actually told the manager that I had been looking for a job and that if I was still looking they should hire me. I thought that was such a thoughtful thing to do. His last day was shortly after Thanksgiving and they weren’t even sure if they were going to be able to rehire the position.

Last Wednesday, I just “happened” to check GKTW’s website to see if they had posted any job openings and my job was there! I sent my application in right away and went to volunteer for my normal shift that night. I was hoping to mention it to a manager that night, but the girl working is relatively new herself, so I thought it wouldn’t really matter. That night when I went to leave, I stopped by to see Kasey and gave her a ride to Guest Services on my way out of the Village. She walked in (as God would time it) right when the head manager (who hadn’t been there earlier) and the new manager were discussing if the volunteer that just left (me) was Amy Paul. Kasey was sure to inform them that it was me! Kasey called saying that the head manager was wanting to meet me, so since I wasn’t far, I turned around and went back to the Village.

I met Dee Dee that night and she told me how excited they were to have received my resume that day. She said that they had been waiting for it because Anthony had recommended me for the job before he left. She scheduled me to come in for an interview last Thursday. And…as you know I GOT THE JOB! She told me she “hoped to know by Monday,” but she called me on Friday to offer the job! I am so excited!

The question I keep getting is, “Is it full or part time?” And, you know…I don’t even know! And, I don’t even care. I am somewhat anticipating that it’ll just be part-time, but I am just excited to be working! The job is very entry level, but that’s ok too. I have been wanting a foot-in-the-door at the Village since Kasey started working there and this is it. Now that I am “in,” I should be able to move around and/or up in a matter of time. I should be starting work the week of Christmas…stay tuned.

Sweet Cheryl over at Take a Second Glantz presented me with the Making Smiles on Faces award. How fun! Cheryl is a childhood friend. I believe we met in elementary school at Wilson and reconnected at Lake Mary High School. Now, more than 12 years later we have reconnected via with world wide web. Thanks, technology! Reconnecting with Cheryl makes me smile. And, her new Etsy shop, SecondGlantz Crafts, makes me smile too. I’m glad she took the plunge. Go check it out!

In order to accept this award, I have to tell five random things about myself. So…here goes:

1. Gross or not, this is random. I recently took up the use of a Neti pot. My mom recommended it and it has really helped with my most recent cold. If you haven’t tried it, consider using one this flu season.
2. I said I would “never” read Twilight, but when a new friendship was suddenly put in pseudo-jeopardy over my refusal to read it, I decided to give it a try. I’m 11 chapters in and I’m hooked.
3. I ran my second 5K last Saturday in West Palm Beach and my third race will happen in March with my sister.
4. I have not come anywhere close to meeting my holiday baking quota. This much change SOON.
5. My car needs to be washed in the WORST way and I keep putting it off. Why? I’m not sure, but when your three-year-old nephew tells you that your car needs a bath you know it’s bad.

And, now, I get to pass this award on to five other people. So, I award the “Making Smiles on Faces” award to Dawn, Suburban Princess, Kathleen, Katie and Kati. Ready…set…go!

Wow, everyone! This blog giveaway has been fun! So much fun that I can promise you…we’ll do it again! Stay tuned.

I know, I know…you want me to get to the good stuff…the winner!

Thanks to random.org we have a winner! Yay! This is so fun!

And, who had comment number 9 you ask?

This Girl.

Congrats, Vicki! Check your email.

But wait…that’s not all…

Just in time for Christmas, the price on all Little Guy Ties have been cut in half! They’ve all been marked down to $4.00 (plus shipping). What a great price for two ties in one! There are a few available in the shop now and more to come. But, sorry…we will no longer be accepting custom orders on Little Guy Ties.

‘Tis better to give than to receive, right? I think so!

In celebration of 200 sales in Two Florida Girls‘ Etsy shop, I’m giving away something! I am also participating in Sew Mama Sew’s giveaway day. Check out their site for lots of other giveaways.

On to the good stuff…you can win your choice of the following…

Heidi Grace Coffee Cozy

Reversible Little Guy Tie

Snowman Hair Clip

Entering to win is simple…and just because I’m feeling generous, I’m going to give you LOTS of ways to get extra entries.

FIRST:

• Leave a comment on this post letting me know which of the above items you’d like to win.

EARN EXTRA ENTRIES: You can earn an extra entry for any of the following. Be sure to leave a comment on this post for EACH thing you do.

1. Visit Two Florida Girls and let me know something from the shop that you love.
2. Mention this giveaway on your blog, Twitter or Facebook. Link back to this post. Leave a comment letting me know that you did.
3. Add Two Florida Girls as one of your favorite shops on Etsy. Leave a comment with your Etsy user name. If you already “heart” our shop, leave a comment letting me know.
4. Become a fan of Two Florida Girls on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know that you did. If you’re already a fan, leave a comment letting me know. (Here’s the link to our fan page–http://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Florida-Girls/128583822121?ref=ts)
5. Visit my sister’s blog (the other half of Two Florida Girls) and leave a comment on one of her posts. Leave a comment here letting me know that you did.

All entries must be received by Midnight (EST) on Sunday, December 6. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. A winner will be chosen at random using random.org. Winner will be notified on Monday, December 7. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another will be chosen. International entries are welcome!

Celebrating Kasey's Birthday at Magic Kingdom.

Go ahead…call me a dork. Call me crazy. Call me what you will, but I have been waiting a year to write this post.

As you may recall (from this post) or as you may have gathered from my many Disney-related Facebook statuses and blog posts, I purchased a Disney Annual Pass last November. Now…what you may not know about this pass is that I paid $330 of it using Disney Dollars from my Disney Rewards Visa, which means only $30-ish came out of my pocket for the pass. Isn’t that wonderful? Disney really IS the happiest place on earth.

But…that’s not what I’ve been waiting a year to write about. Oh no…that’s not what makes me dorky or crazy…but this is…

Nice to meet you, Buzz.

So…throughout my 365 days as an Annual Passholder, I kept track of all my Disney visits that required the use of my pass. Yep, that’s right. I kept track of all of them in my trusty iCal (thanks, MacBook). But here’s why…of course I knew it was more logical to buy a pass than a one-day ticket, but I just really wanted to see what I was getting for my money (or Visa’s…which was mine too).

And…here’s how it breaks out…

• Trips to Magic Kingdom: 7 (Hours: 34)
• Trips to EPCOT: 8 (Hours: 25)
• Trips to MGM: 11 (Hours: 38)
• Trips to Animal Kingdom: 1 (Hours: 4)

On the carousel with my favorite boy.

Looks like in one year, I visited some portion of Mickey’s house 27 times, totaling 101 hours. (And it’s now obvious to everyone else which park I’m not so much a fan of.) So, that means out of my pocket, I paid $1.11 for each visit. Or, I paid $0.30 per hour. (Even if I had paid full price, out of pocket for my pass that would have been $13.33 per visit, or $3.56 per hour.)

And, let’s not forgot about the costs for parking. It’s $14 a day! Granted, I sometimes went to more than one park per day, that’s a “savings” of over more than $350!

So….yes…call me a dork. Call me crazy. Call me what you will, but I am thrilled to have had that Annual Pass this year. I got to take Paul more times than he can count (probably literally) and also got to spend time with friends from out of town. It was well worth it. So much so that I’ve renewed for another 15 months! Yay for Mickey!

Couple of things related to Two Florida Girls that you might want to know about…

GIVEAWAY!

We are being featured in a giveaway over at The Gift Closet. Go enter to win your choice of an item from our shop. The giveaway ends on December 1 at midnight and it’s open to anyone (US and International). Also, bookmark The Gift Closet while you’re over there because Heather offers giveaways each week!

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING!

Stock up on great handmade gifts without leaving your home or fighting the crowds. Take advantage of our FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. Offer good on all Two Florida Girls Etsy purchases between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday. FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING begins at 12:00am (EST) on Thursday, November 26 and ends at 12:00am (EST) on Tuesday, December 1.

200 SALES!

And…one more thing. Back on this blog post I promised a giveaway when Two Florida Girls hits 200 sales in our Etsy shop. We’re close…4 sales away to be exact. When we get there, I’ll post a giveaway right here on my blog.

I am borrowing this idea (and cool image) from fabulous k. I know I’ve been slacking a little lately when it comes to blogging, but it’s still something I enjoy doing. I also enjoy knowing who’s out there…who’s reading and checking things out here on my blog.

So…with that in mind…go ahead. Say, “Hey!” If you’re a blog stalker and you don’t normally comment, just do it! Let me know you’re out there. I’d love to check out your blog and/or Etsy shop too, so make sure you leave a link!

And, feel free to grab the cool graphic from fabulous k and do the same thing on your blog. Just be sure you link back to her and let her know you’re participating.

Kati and I have been busy getting ready for Two Florida Girls‘ first-ever Holiday Handmade Open House. We are participating in this fun day with several other Etsy friends from our area. We are really looking forward to it.

Kati has been busy working on coffee cozies and gadget cozies. I have been busy working on the admin stuff as well as the newest addition to our repetoire–cute hair clips for all those Little Florida Girls.

So…here’s what I did with part of my day:

Christmas Tree Hair Clips

Snowmen Hair Clips

I need a hair model. Anybody have a little girl they can volunteer? I can pay in adorable little hair clips.

If you live in or around Central Florida, you are more than welcome to join us for the Holiday Handmade Open House this Sunday. If you’d like the time and location information, please comment on this post and I’ll be glad to send it to you.

Alright…this is too good to pass up. I know I’ve been MIA from blog-land the last week or so…but this is a fun and simple way to re-engage, PLUS be entered to win a ton of cool stuff!

So…check this out. You can enter to win too! TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a Madsen Bike filled with gifts and goodies from Provo Craft to help you create those handmade projects including a Yudu screen-printing machine, a Cuttlebug, a Cricut Expression Machine, a Your Story thermal book binder, and a Knifty Knitter loom set. That’s not all – we’ve got treasures galore – a Dyson Blueprint, an Easy Walker Sky stroller from MamaBargains.com, two Sidekick baby carrier bags from Kemby and anAmber Alert GPS unit and a full year of service. That’s over $3,800 in gifts!

Entering the contest is easy and fun. Just answer and post the meme below on your blog and send them the link. (Don’t have a blog? No problem! You can post this as a note in Facebook and send the link too.)

To participate you must include all of the text, including the links, in bold below:

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year? a job; Primal by Mark Batterson; iTunes card; Starbucks card; some fun stuff from Etsy (like this)

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received? the coffee cozies my sister made for my birthday last year that inspired Two Florida Girls

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle? I want to get back into sewing so that I can make dresses for my sweet little niece

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child? my Mom would probably say a fire truck since I know there was one year that I really wanted one, but I have to say that my memory does not serve me well on all the gifts (sorry Mom & Dad), but I do have plenty of great and vivid memories of Christmas with our family. Maybe those memories, which include a lot of love, are the best gift I could have ever received.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year? Well…ummm…I don’t have any of those. Kids that is. I know my nephew has been very vocal in what he’d like. I’ll share that story in my next blog post. It’s a good one. Don’t miss it.

6. What is your favorite holiday food? Chicken and Dumplings…it’s not technically a “holiday” food, but we have it every year for Christmas Eve dinner. Part of those memories…(question 4).

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays? Adorable Christmas Tree Hair Clips…and stay tuned for Snowmen (hopefully).

8. What is your favorite holiday movie? Do I have to choose only one? Elf, The Holiday, The Grinch (cartoon and Jim Carrey…I feel the need to watch both every year)

9. Favorite holiday song? Hallelujah Chorus…not technically a “holiday” song, but it seems it’s the only time of the year you are more likely to hear it. LOVE it–traditional or jazzed up. Either way. LOVE it.

10. Favorite holiday pastime? I love that our family does the “gift” part of Christmas on Christmas Eve. As a kid I thought it was cool mostly because we got to open our presents before anyone else. As an adult, I appreciate that we can celebrate Jesus’ birthday, the true cause for celebration, on Christmas Day.