Crock Pot Texas Queso

I’d say this is my last recipe of the year, but that’s probably not true. I think I may have come on a little strong this week with the recipes. First the Butterfinger cake then the corn dip and now this. #sorrynotsorry

Today is a hot dip that I attempted for the Iron Bowl. If you’ve ever been to Chili’s and gotten their queso that comes in a skillet, then you know exactly what this is going to taste like.

Corn Dip Recipe

Happy Friday, friends!

It’s my last day of school before Christmas break, and that’s always a good day. 🙂 I hope all of my fellow teachers (and my students) have a great time off of school and are truly blessed this Christmas.

Who’s having a holiday gathering soon? Or at least attending one? If you do, I’ve got a super simple appetizer for you to prepare. What’s more? You can make it the night before! (Praise hands)

Product Review | Countercontrol Matte Effect Gel Cream

This post has been in the works for a while, and I’m glad I’m finally getting to write it. Being a Beautycounter consultant means that I need to be well-versed in my products. I don’t always have the need for the newest skincare lines and products they release, but when they came out with their Countercontrol line, which is geared towards those of us with oily and acne-prone skin, I knew it was something I wanted to try. I had a good bit of the Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion left, so I wanted to use that up before I completely shook up my routine.

Butterfinger Cake Recipe

This cake has been served in my family for as long as I can remember. It’s been to countless family reunions, Christmas celebrations, Thanksgiving dinners, Easter lunches, and I think it’s been someone’s birthday cake a time or two. It’s most recently been a huge hit for our friend, Wade. I made one for Friendsgiving, and he’s asked me to make him one for Christmas. Wade, it’s happening! A whole cake just for you. But just in case you need another one in the new year, I’m giving you the recipe so you and Ashley can make it, too.

It’s an incredibly easy recipe with few ingredients and can be made the night before.

It starts with a box cake mix. Make sure you have the eggs and oil that you’ll need to prepare the cake. Make it in a 9×13 baking dish according to the box’s directions.

Once the cake cooks and completely cools, poke a bunch of holes in the top, then pour a can of sweetened condensed milk over it. Yep, we just upped the yumminess! Okay, now the picture above does NOT have enough holes in it. Add more.

Next, you’ll cover the top with a tub of Cool Whip. The recipe only calls for one 8oz tub, but if you want to make it even more delicious, use two tubs. My dad likes it better this way, too.

Put your Butterfingers in a zip-top bag, beat them up, and then sprinkle them over the Cool Whip. If you’re preparing the cake the night before, save the Butterfinger topping for just before serving. They tend to get a little soggy overnight as they sit on the Cool Whip. The cake is delicious when it’s cold all the way through. I recommend making it the night before so that it will be cold when you serve it.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 box Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Butterfinger candy bars or small pack of Fun Size bars
1 8oz tub of Cool Whip (double if desired)

Directions:

Prepare and bake cake in a 9×13 pan according to box directions.
Allow to cool completely.
Poke holes in the cake. You’ll think it’s enough, but it won’t be. Do more.
Pour sweetened condensed milk over the cake and let settle into the holes of the cake.
Spread Cool Whip over the top of the cake. *If making the night before, put in the refrigerator at this point.
Crumble Butterfingers over the top of the cake and serve.

If you’re asked to bring a dessert to an upcoming holiday party, you should definitely try this one. And if you aren’t a fan of Butterfingers, you can try just about any candy bar on top. I would imagine a Heath bar would be fabulous on this cake. Or crumbled up Reese’s Cups. Or Snickers. Or a combination of any or all of these. Let me know if you make it and what candy you put on top.

Hope you guys are having a great week! Tomorrow is my last day with students then a teacher work day. Bring on Christmas break!

Switching to Safer Beauty and the Positive Effects It’s Having on Teens

Each month I send out a Beautycounter Newsletter via email to my clients and to anyone else who would like to receive this newsletter. I thought that this month was so full of great information that it deserved its own blog post.

Gift Guide Round Up

Well, we’ve reached the end of gift guides this year. I have enjoyed putting these nine lists together for you, and I hope they’ve helped you find some great gift ideas for the people on your list.

First, I have to say thank you to each and every one of you for your kindness regarding my blog this holiday season. I have truly felt the love and am thrilled you have enjoyed each post. It means the world for y’all to tell me you read and enjoy the blog.

Second, thank you to those of you who shopped the affiliate links in my posts. They were the ones directly linked to Beautycounter, and I’m so happy you are getting or gifting safer beauty this year.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the local shops for participating in a brand new kind of post. It was pretty dang cool that you wanted to participate, and I hope to do it again and with even more shops.

I wanted to round up the gift guides in one place for you, so that you can easily access each one. There’s a tab on the right side of my blog called Holiday Gift Guides that have them all and have the ones from last year. You can always access them there at any time of the year, but for now, here’s your one stop shop for all things gift guides from Living a Norman Life.

Thank you again for all the love and support this week! The fun isn’t over yet, though. I’ve got lots of fun things coming up this month: recipes, holiday-themed content, hopefully a master bathroom update (say prayers), and some changes to the existing decor around here. Hope you stick around to check it all out.

Happy Monday, y’all!

Gift Guide for the Guys

If I’m being honest, I wasn’t going to write this. I asked two different men what were some of their favorite things in their home. You know, things they use everyday or things they wouldn’t want to live without. The first answer from both was beer. The second from one of them was Crocs. Oh boy… At least their standards aren’t too high. #silverlining

My Wish List Gift Guide

Everyone has a Christmas Wish List, right? I sure do. I pretty much have a year-round wish list, but now that it’s Christmas and people are asking what I’d like to receive, I’m making a comprehensive list. And chances are that if I want something on this list, you might too. Let’s see if that’s the case.

My Wish List

Light Grey Duvet Cover– I’ve finally nailed down a design plan for our master bedroom and it includes this bedding. I sent my mom a link for it, so we’ll see what kind of good word she’s got with Santa! 🙂
Disco Ball– If you follow me on Instagram, you know how much I love my disco ball ornaments and when the sun hits them. The light patterns that dance across the room are down right magical. Imagine if this one was positioned in just the right path of light. Instant fun and a little bit of glam, too.
SJP Collection Shoes– Again, if you follow me on Instagram, then you know my affinity for SJP Collection. Her shoes are insanely beautiful and incredibly well-made. This style is called Doe. They were released recently in a sassy red leather called Poison, and I might prefer the red. I’d probably get more wear from this Black Mesh, but wouldn’t the red add a punch of fun? You can get the red ones by calling the Seaport District NYC store and having them shipped to you. I wear a 39.5 if Santa is feeling extra generous. Definitely do that black, though, Santa. We both know my wardrobe is primarily black clothes. Let’s keep with the trend. 🙂
Herbivore Jade Facial Roller– I’ve been reading and hearing lots of good things about jade facial rollers. The coolness of the stone is supposed to be great for de-puffing and de-stressing your skin. This particular one was number one on Allure Magazine’s list of jade rollers. I’m always on the lookout for great and natural skin care, so this seems like a fun addition.
Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel– Speaking of great skincare, this product is something I’ve been wanting to try out for a while. I heard it should have been named “The Game Changer”, and well, I’d really like to see how game changing it is for my skin. Several clients of mine love it and other consultants say it’s made all the difference in their skin. I’m sure I’ll be getting my hands on this one soon. I’ll report back!
Slippers– Every few years I put a new pair of slippers on my Christmas list. This year happens to be one of those years since I’ve worn out my last pair. They were from L.L. Bean and were fabulous. This year I went a different route and chose a pair from Walmart that I fell in love with. These aren’t the exact ones, but they’re mighty close. I can’t find the exact ones online, but they are in the Greenville Walmart right now!
Silk Pillowcase– Have you heard about the greatness that is a silk pillowcase? I hear they help with frizz and are what your delicate skin needs. This set at Target is only $14 and comes with a beautiful French hair pin. Yes, please! Who sleeps on a silk pillowcase already? Does it really make a difference?
Oversize Wall Clock– When trying to channel my inner Jojo, I can’t think of a better way to do it than to add a giant wall clock to my home. I found this one at At Home this year and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I should have just bought it, but it seemed indulgent. Hopefully I’m on the Nice List this year.
Leopard Curtains– Elizabeth, don’t you already have leopard curtains in your living room? Yes. Don’t you think you’d be overdoing it adding another set of leopard curtains? Heck no! This would be a lighter leopard and would hang in the master bedroom. Rooms are supposed to flow, right? This fabric from Schumacher, one of my favorite places to find fabric and wallpaper and also one of the best Instagram feeds in home decor, is perfection and exactly what I’ve envisioned for that space. I don’t even know how much they cost, but I don’t care. I want them.
Homebody by Joanna Gaines– This book is already on one of my gift guides, but I want it for myself, too. I mentioned before that I try to channel my inner Jojo, so why not get the ideas straight from the source? It’s bound to be super informative and incredibly pretty.
Wine Glasses– Over our eight years of marriage, I’ve broken countless wine glasses. We were gifted some really beautiful ones from Karen Rainey’s as wedding presents, but those are the ones I broke. I think I’m down to three. It’s time for some new ones, and this style is exactly what I’m looking for.
Peds No Show Socks– These socks were also on another gift guide. I have the kind with the silicone pad at the heel, but these are so perfect for mules and backless booties, which I have plenty of. I can’t wait to give these a try.

I decided to leave off the clothes. There are so many fashion bloggers out there to turn to to find the best deals and most stylish clothes. But I have had so much fun putting this list together. I tend to have pretty expensive taste as you can tell by the shoes, but I managed to find some great bargains this year. Are any of these items on your list? Do you already have any of these? Specifically the silk pillow case or jade roller? I’d love to know in the comments.

Thank you for hanging out with me all week and checking out all the gift guides. I’ve got one more I added at the list minute for the boys so come back tomorrow for the last gift guide of the year. I hope that you’ve gotten ideas for the people on your list or even for yourself. I’m looking forward to putting them to good use as I finish up my Christmas shopping.

There’s plenty more fun coming this month to Living a Norman Life! Be sure to click the arrow in the top right of your screen and subscribe so you won’t miss any of the posts.

And if you’ve missed any of them, here’s a list of the gift guides from this week:

Have a great weekend, friends!

*This post contains affiliate links. I do receive a commission when you shop some of the links in this post. Thanks for your support.

Gift Guide for the Teachers

Happy Friday! This teacher is some kind of tired. During December teachers get a little more frazzled than usual as we deal with tests, getting grades in before report cards in the new year, and also all that excitement of Santa and the time we’re all about to have off. I’ve got four more days with students! I think I can. I think I can. Teachers, you feel me, right?

If you’ve got kids, chances are you’ve got a teacher you’re thinking of buying a gift for. I decided to put together a few ideas for you, and I’m being super honest about those gift cards for number five. Some of these items you can also get locally so shop small. Continue reading “Gift Guide for the Teachers”

Hostess Gift Guide

Today is actually a 3-in-1 gift guide!

A lot of times we have to go to a Christmas dinner party, but we also have fun gift exchange parties or game-themed parties that we can take the kiddos to, and then there’s the kind of guest that has to stay overnight. I decided to put together three mini gift guides for each kind of guest to give to their host/hostess. You’re getting all three of them in this one post! Continue reading “Hostess Gift Guide”