Well Said

This post I actually came across last year.  It is exactly how I use to think of Christmas--sweet smelling hay, the whole nine yards.  I just thought I would share this for you all to enjoy and think about.

Well said, Shannon, well said. 

Gift Ideas

We have lots of little ones to buy for at Christmas.  Don't get me wrong--that means we have many blessings--but on one income that can get a little expensive...so these past few years have forced me  to get creative.  That's why I just love the internet.  I've come across many different ideas both on blogs and other sites and I thought I would share a couple with you.

For the little boys (and girls too!) I found this tutorial on making slime.  Plus, if you are a homeschooler, I think it would also be a great chemistry experiment.

I followed the directions (I even used the off brand glue--I would have bought Elmers, but Target was out and when you have a two year bundled up in a fleece hat and gloves, a big puffy coat and snow boots--putting her back in the car seat and going to another store and getting her situated back in the stroller was just so not worth it, so store brand glue it was) and it turned out great!

It is kind of messy, but something I think the kids will enjoy.

Hopefully their moms will forgive me.  

For little girls...I actually came up with this idea out of necessity.  Well, not necessity--but frugality at the very least.  I love all those little hair bows you can buy for little girls.  Peanut has several--not "handmade" ones, but lots of cute ones that she has received as gifts.  I wanted some in different colors for her and I was too cheap to buy them.  So I got one of her store bought bows and took it apart.  "I could so do that," I thought.  So I did.  As I was making some for Peanut, I thought, well I could do these as Christmas gifts too.  So I did.

I was going to do a tutorial for you, but I am that lazy time constrained, so I found this tutorial that would help aid you if you are interested.  The little clips you can find at a beauty supply store and ribbon and glue you can find at any craft store.  Easy and pretty cute, too!

Do you make hand made gifts?  If so, what do you do? 

Beef Kebabs

With all our beef, I am always on the look out for new and different recipes that use ground beef. This one did not disappoint and it is SO easy!  It's from the November (2010) issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray.

Beef Kebabs

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (I used regular paprika and it was fine)
Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.  Form into 1 1/4 balls and thread onto skewers.  Grill meatballs for about 8-10 minutes until cooked through, rotating half way through. 

This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap 

Menu Plan Monday

Enjoying our time here in Hometown....so this will be short and sweet.  For this week, we will be having:

Sunday, Monday - Vacation!

Tuesday - Chicken Turkey Pad Thai, steamed broccoli

Wednesday - Baked Potato Bar with chili, cheese, sour cream, broccoli, green onions

Thursday - Nachos with black beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, jalapenos (for Hubs)

Friday - BLT sandwiches, green salad with homemade ranch dressing

Saturday - Leftovers


For other great menu ideas, visit the Organizing Junkie. 

My Top Ten Favorite Christmas Songs

I  ♥ Christmas music.  When I was younger, I may or may not have started listening to Christmas music as early in the year as July or August.  I may have even listened to it as I was in labor with Peanut.  No, she wasn't born around the holidays--she was born in September.  I know, I know.  But I can't help it. It's my favorite.  And I not really a "music" person, so that is saying something. 

I thought I would share some of my favorites with you...

1.  Jesus, Born on This Day ~ Mariah Carey.  I love, love, love this song.  And guess what?  Mariah Carey wrote it.  I know. This was also redone by Avalon too.  I have that version as well.  It's just so good.

2.  Carol of the Bells/What Child Is This ~ Point of Grace  Carol of the Bells used to be my very favorite, but it's standing has since been replaced--see #1. 

3.  White Christmas ~ Bing Crosby ~ You just can't mess with the classics.  Holiday Inn is one of my favorite Christmas movies.  This song was in this movie before it was in White Christmas.  A lot of people don't know that. 

4.  Away in a Manger ~ Third Day ~ This has been a favorite since I was a little girl.

5.  Gloria ~ Mercy Me ~ Well, despite what I said on #3, this one is an exceptional exception to the rule.  I love the spoken parts.

6.  One King ~ Point of Grace ~ LOVE this song.

7.  While You Were Sleeping ~ Casting Crowns ~ This one has such a good message.  Very thought provoking.

8.  Not That Far From Bethlehem ~ Point of Grace ~ Can you tell I like this album?  This song also reminds me of my Mom's best friend who passed away.   She sang this at her church's Christmas concert.  Sigh. 

9.  Joy to the World ~ Chris Tomlin ~ This album is just really good all the way around. 

10.  Somewhere in My Memory ~ John Williams ~ This song reminds of my childhood Christmas'--all the joys of the holidays and no worries--just as a childhood should be. 

11.  Silent Night ~ Third Day ~  I know this is a top ten, but it's my list, okay?  This is another really good one. 


What are your favorite Christmas songs? 

Treasures from the Grandmas

This last Tuesday didn't start out so good.

First a note to self (and for each of you in case you might be interested):  When leaving up the "Harvest Display" outside the front door through Thanksgiving weekend, be sure that temps are above freezing if planning to puree pumpkins for food preservation purposes.

I had several of these beauties to preserve (free from my parents garden, no less):

and although they are not pie pumpkins, when pureed in the food processor, I have found they work just fine. 

We have had some very cold weather here, and needless to say, my pumpkins froze.  Solid.  Although I had already preserved several of the pumpkins, there were several more outside that I hadn't got to.  So I brought in one of the said frozen pumpkins and set it in the sink to thaw so I could puree it.   

It took 12 + hours to thaw.  Biggest unintentional ice cube I've ever seen.  

(The frozen pumpkin was soft when it thawed, so I just pureed it--I didn't see a need to bake to soften it up.  That's my silver lining.)

Soooo, back to this last Tuesday morning.  I got up in the morning to my thawed pumpkin sitting in the kitchen sink.  I cut it in half to start the pureeing process and pumpkin juice started spilling out.  I quickly moved the pumpkin over to the sink to let in drain and mopped up the mess that already spilled out.  I turned around to grab a spoon out of my utensil crock and I glanced over at the pumpkin to make sure it wasn't still spilling over--and I kept pulling on the spoon to get it out of the crock.  In my carelessness, I knocked over the crock, which was near the edge of the counter.  The crock crashed to floor and broke.   I have Fiestaware.  They like to retire their colors every so often.  My crock was the retired Rose.  I cried.  Literally.

Meanwhile, as I was up to my elbows in pumpkin, the Hubs was searching for my advent calendar.  This isn't just any Advent calendar either, it's one that my Mom made for me when I was about five or six.  Prior to moving last year, I remember avoiding packing it, because I wasn't quite sure what to do with it/how to pack it.  It was folded up and wrapped in several (clean) white garbage bags and we had been searching for it for several weeks.  Closets, dressers, boxes in closets, cabinets--neither of us could find it.  And I was really starting to get worried.  I knew I wouldn't have gotten rid of it, but it was no where to be found.  And my imagination was running wild--"What if someone who helped us move threw it away?"  It was in a trash bag after all--I was stressing out with all the possible what ifs.  Plus, it was November 30 and the countdown for  the 25 days til Christmas started the next day and I didn't want to have to confuse Peanut with putting up more than one ornament per day.

Consistency is vital with a two year old.  

The Hubby found a long tall box underneath our basement stairs and asked if it could be in there.  "No," I said, "That was the box I used (and am saving) for packing the lamps."  Our garage is literally full from floor to ceiling with stuff.  And my dear, sweet husband proceeded to spend three hours going through boxes trying to find the advent calendar.  In between pumpkin preserving and watching the Peanut, I would go downstairs to the cold garage and check on him and his progress--to see if he found it.  (Although if he had found it, he would have brought it upstairs immediately to show me, so checking on him was silly--but I was anxious.)  But still nothing.  Nada.  He couldn't find it.

So he started shoveling snow.  And I went outside to ask him yet again if he had found it.  Nope.  He couldn't find it.  So I went upstairs with a sinking feeling--he had looked everywhere.  It was gone.  

But then, about 20 minutes later, I heard him come up the stairs.  I turned around and there he was with the calendar in his hands and a smirk on his face.  He looked torn between either strangling me or hugging me.   I was SO excited, "Where was it?" I asked.

"In the long, tall box you swore it wasn't in," he replied, "I don't know why I didn't check there first--oh yeah I do.  Because you said it wasn't in there."

Now after all that effort, I would have certainly fessed up if I had placed it in there.  But even after him telling me that's where he found it, I didn't remember putting it there.  I truly didn't.  Then that's when he admitted, "You know, I think I was the one who put it in that box when I was organizing the basement after we moved."

Hmm.  Well, that made me feel a little better. 

But it's quite the calendar, don't you think?  Perfect to pass down to my little Peanut.  And it's in pretty darn good shape for being 25 years old.  Of course, my Mom does do excellent work.  Have I mentioned that before?

And in between pumpkin preserving, Peanut watching, and Operation Advent Calendar monitoring, I was also googling Rose Fiestaware.  I couldn't find anything except for the one I happened to find on eBay, but I've only ever purchased "Buy Now" items--I've never bid on anything before.  That said, I also knew that you shouldn't bid on something until right when the auction is ending.  I emailed the seller and asked if I could purchase the crock immediately for $10 over her asking price.  After several hours, I finally heard back from her and she said, "Sure, I could do that--but you better purchase it soon, because there are five other bidders watching the item."  I went right on and purchased it--NOT an expense I was planning on, but I am thankful nonetheless that I was able to replace it. 

Lastly, our Peanut also has quite a little treasure from her other Grandma that she received last week.  There's a story to go with this one as well.  Turns out that when Hubs little brother was about Peanut's age, my mother-in-law was at a fabric store and they had some pre-printed  fabric nativity patterns on bolts.  She thought it would be perfect for those little inquiring hands.  Typically nativity sets are set far out of reach for little ones because the nativities can break.  She purchased two sets--one to make for Hubs little brother (who is now in his late twenties) and one for her toddler aged Sunday school class.  Ah, the best of intentions--my mom is a sewer too--isn't there a saying that she who dies with the most fabric, wins?  Anyhow, fast forward 25 years later and she came across the fabric, still in the bag.  Obviously it was too late for Hub's little brother to enjoy, but now she has grandbabies that would thoroughly enjoy the plush nativity.  So she whipped one up and sent it for the Peanut to enjoy during the Christmas season.  And enjoy it, she has.

Peanut knows each of the individuals involved--Baby Jesus, Mommy {Mary}, Daddy {Joseph}, the shepherds and Wise Men.  When Peanut lays Jesus in the manger, she tells me, "No crying."  We've been singing Away in a Manger to her, and as the song goes-- "no crying He makes."  It's pretty precious--especially since the Peanut often times seems so distracted when we tell her the Christmas story or sing Away in a Manger to her.  She is such a busy little girl, but it turns out--she's getting a whole lot more than we realize. 

{Insert sigh of contentment here}

The day that started out terribly definitely ended on a high note.

Ginger Snaps ~ A Holiday Staple

This recipe is from my Granny.  She was a wonderful cook, but not so much a baker.  Sort of like Rachael Ray.  However, this recipe is truly one of a kind.  They make wonderful crackles just like ginger snaps should have.  Perhaps it's the four teaspoons of baking soda?  Plus, they taste wonderful--which is even more important.  I did use organic palm shortening rather than your standard Crisco, but I didn't have the heart to use whole wheat flour.  Maybe next year?  Sometimes you just can't mess with perfection.

Ginger Snaps

1 1/2 cups shortening
1 2/3 cups sugar (I used rapadura)
1/2 cup molasses (I used blackstrap)
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. ginger
4 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour
Additional sugar for coating cookie dough balls

Mix shortening and sugar together until creamy.  Add in molasses and eggs; combine thoroughly.  Mix in salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and baking soda to insure each is evenly distributed.  Add in flour one cup at a time until each is combined.  Dough will be very thick.  Refrigerate dough for 2-3 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Once chilled, roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll each dough ball in sugar to coat.  (Using the advice of my sister, I now use a cookie scoop to shape the dough--much faster!  It changed my life.  Really.)   Bake each sheet for about 14 minutes.  I like a chewier cookie, but if you actually like them to snap like they are supposed to, bake a few minutes longer.  Makes about four dozen cookies.



This recipe is linked to:

Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Blessed With Grace Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Hearth 'n Soul Recipe Swap  

&

Menu Plan Monday

A shorter week this week, because we get to go to Hometown on Thursday.  Needless to say, I am excited!  And not just because I won't have to cook.  ;)   We didn't get to a lot on last weeks menu, as we were eating up leftovers from the turkey that just keeps on giving.  But I shouldn't complain--we did have three leftover nights that didn't involve cooking.  It was a nice break, and even though I do love to cook, it allowed me to get some of my other projects done before we leave. 

Sunday - Grilled Cheese, Fruit

Monday - Baked Potato Bar with chili, cheese, sour cream, broccoli, green onions

Tuesday - Taco Salad with taco meat, black beans, cheese, salsa and sour cream

Wednesday - Hawaiian Pizza (Canadian Bacon and Pineapple) with homemade crust and sauce, green salad

Thursday, Friday, Saturday - Vacation to Hometown! 

For other great menu plans, visit the Organizing Junkie. 

Cream, Sugar, and Snowflakes

After breakfast this morning, Peanut was getting impatient because Dolly (her dolly) wouldn't sit upright in her chair.  The doll is really made to lay flat--her plush body just doesn't want to sit upright--but if you had the option to lay down all the time, wouldn't you?    

I know I would. 

So I got Dolly to sit up straight.  It's a good thing too, because Peanut was having a tea party and Dolly was the guest of honor. 

I put Dolly on a pillow and that's my scarf, holding her up.

Well, I thought it was resourceful.  So did Peanut--she handed me Elmo and the scarf this evening and said, "Mommy, do it."   Sigh.  Oh for the days when mommy could fix everything.

The party was short lived and soon Peanut was stacking dishes--being in the restaurant industry, Daddy has taught Peanut to bus her own table.

After the party, Peanut and Daddy went sledding.  Which unlike the other day with Peanut seeming a little indifferent, she had a grand time!

After each trip down the hill, her response to Daddy was, "Geen."  Rhymes with "been"--which means "let's go again."

Daddy definitely got his exercise today. 

Me?  Not so much.  I was stoking the fire monitoring the thermostat. 

I know--but someone has to do it. 

Hold Me

I put our tree up during Peanut's nap today...

 pray for unending patience as I teach her not to touch.