Merry CHRISTmas!

Merry CHRISTmas everyone! 

Remember to keep Christ in your heart throughout His holiday. He really is the reason for this season! Kiss and hold dear the ones that are with you and know the ones that are not with you here on earth are with you in spirit. 

I wish all of you a very wonderful and magic Christmas!

God Bless!

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Christmas Goodies!

Unfortunately, I don't usually do a lot of baking at Christmas. I just can't fit it in with being a working Mom. Kudos to those of you who do!

However, since I have some time this year, I am going to try to do a little baking. Here are just a couple of the goodies that are on my list to make.

Pizzelles - A family obsession favorite. Click here for my recipe.

Holiday Pretzel Treats - No one resists this sweet & salty combination. Click here for my recipe.

Have Fun!

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In Remembrance

God Bless!

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Silent Sunday's Inspiration!

Have Fun!

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Blessed!

Due to being busy the last three days, I've missed posting. I had planned to catch up today and post some more fun stuff about Christmas.

However, due to yesterday's senseless killing of 26 innocent children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, I don't feel much like talking about Christmas today.

I am going through a mixture of emotions today.  I imagine all of you, especially parents, out there are going through the same thing.

As much as we try to make sense of what happens, I believe that sometimes we will never have answers.

I believe this is one of those times.

So where does this leave us?

I'm not sure.

For me, praying gets me through. I'll continue to pray for all those affected by this horrible tragedy. Please join me in praying for strength and support for the families of Newtown, Connecticut during this unimaginable time in their lives.

Thank you.

I'm sure you are wondering why I chose "Blessed" for the title of this bog entry. I know you are thinking that blessed is far from what the families in Connecticut are feeling right now.

Remember I said earlier that I was going through a mixture of emotions. Blessed is the emotion I am going to hang on to at this time to help me deal with what happened as I continue to pray for the families.

This is what I wrote for my status update on Facebook this morning:

"I'm sitting here sipping my tea, perusing fb while listening to a sick little girl trying to breathe in her sleep. As much as taking care of a sick child was not on my to-do list today, I am blessed.

I am so sad and my heart breaks for those that are waking up today without their children. Sad for those whose are planning their child's funeral. Sad for those parents who have to find some way to get through today and every day after.

Yes. I am blessed because not only do I get to take care of my sick child but I get to hug her, kiss her, laugh with her, watch her grow and see her open her presents on Christmas morning."

Two nights ago, I saw Martina McBride's Christmas concert. In the middle of the concert she sang several of her non-Christmas songs. She said that her hope would be that through her music and songs, it would help, inspire or give us strength. Who would have known the very next day, I would refer back to one of those songs to help me get through. 

The song is "Blessed." Please count your blessings and not take your children or loved ones for granted.

It can all end way too soon.

God Bless!
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Only HE uses THAT Wrapping Paper!

If you haven't figured out by now, I'm sentimental so that is probably why I like traditions. 

And boy, do I have traditions!

One, out of the 100 or so Christmas traditions in our house, is that only Santa uses Santa wrapping paper!

Seriously. If it has his picture on it, shouldn't he be the only one to use it?

Makes sense, right?

 

And you better believe that even though Allison knows "The Truth" this year, the tradition will carry on and all the presents under the tree Christmas morning will be wrapped in Santa paper!

How about you? 

Do you wrap presents from Santa in Santa paper?

Or do you have any other traditions surrounding Santa?

Have Fun!

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Cards to Far and Near!

I'm sorry to admit that I am not always the best Christmas card sender.

I know. I stink!

I always intend to send them out but sometimes time gets away from me and it just doesn't happen.

I really feel bad about it because I LOVE receiving them and I'm sure others do too!

Seriously, who doesn't like receiving good snail mail?

This year I ordered cards from Picaboo for the first time. I had a coupon for a Groupon deal so I thought I would give them a try.

Can I just tell you? I LOVE how they came out! 

They are printed on heavy cardstock instead of photo paper which I was a little worried about how they would turn out but I really like it! The only problem is that I couldn't get a good picture or scan of it to share with you. The picture below is a scan and while the colors look broken up, they are not. The colors are solid and vibrant.

As I said earlier, I LOVE receiving Christmas cards. One that I received this year already was from my niece, Stephanie. It included a pic of her and her boyfriend, AJ, and pic of her baby.

Doesn't her baby, Bogey, look handsome?

Have Fun!

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Silent Sunday's Inspiration!

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Marshmallows of a New Flavor!

Look what I found at Target!

I bought three bags and I'm not really a marshmallow fan!

I'm planning on trying out this recipe at Christmas for Peppermint Cookie Bark. The recipe is from Leigh Anne over at Your Homebased Mom. 

Click here to take you to the recipe on her blog. 

I've made some of her cookie bark before for Halloween and it is delish!

Until I make Leigh Anne's Peppermint Cookie Bark, I'll just enjoy the PeppermintMallows in hot chocolate.

They are so yummy in hot chocolate especially with a candy cane!

Isn't the mug cute? I picked it up at Goodwill for Allison for 25 cents!

I love a bargain!

Have Fun!

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A Little Christmas Feline Humor!

This is why our Christmas tree doesn't go up until 10 days before Christmas!

I can't even imagine what our crazy kitten is going to do with it this year!

Have Fun!

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My Favorite Christmas Carol!

O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas carol and especially when sung acapella by Martina McBride!.

I saw her years ago in concert when she sang it and it brought tears to my eyes. 

Her voice is truly AMAZING!

I am so EXCITED because 1 week from today I get to see her sing it live again!

 

 

That's right! A friend and I are going to her "The Joy of Christmas" concert in Pittsburgh.

I can't wait!

Anyway, I want to share Martina's rendition of O Holy Night with you because really no one sings it as well as she does.  

Please put your speakers up and Enjoy!

 

Have Fun!

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Extreme Lights!

I went home to the county I'm from last Saturday for our Santa wreath class and to visit my parents. 

On my way home I passed a house that decorates for every holiday. The last time I was over there, they had just began their decorating. Fortunately this time, they were done! I was hoping that it would be dark on my way home so I could take some pics.

Be prepared . . . this post is picture heavy! I should also apologize that a few of the pics are blurry. I thought about omitting them but then I feel like I would be missing some of the story.

Before I take you on the tour, let me preface it by saying that it consists of two houses. This first one and the a small one to the left of it . . . or maybe it's not a house at all. It could be for storage.

This first picture is taken from the right of the property. As you can see there are soldiers bordering the entire display.

This display consists of a light up Snoopy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pooh, Tigger and Tweety Bird.

This scene depicts Santa kneeling in front of baby Jesus with angels. Sorry for the blur but it's my favorite Christmas scene . . . the bringing together of Faith and Fantasy.

In this next scene, there is a fully decorated Christmas tree complete with an angel on top, a Christmas village and a Santa driven train.

Beautifully lit tree with angels and nativity animals.

A complete nativity.

Is it Christmas Town or Christmas Heaven?

The Vienna Boys' Choir complete with singing angels. The sign on the garage door is wishing us all Merry Christmas from the family.

I know this is blurry but there's Santa, his 8 reindeer and Rudolph leading the way.

A scene from Charlie Brown's Christmas.

 Yes, this is blurry but it's Santa's toy workshop!

 And we can't forget the Sweet Factory!

 How cute is this?!? It's a Santa School! You can't read what the sign says in front of the porch but it says "Santa Parking Only" and there is parking lines for the spaces!

 This is completely to the left of the display. Can you see Santa's reindeer to the left of the school in the back to the right of the tree?

 A straight on shot of the left side of the display.

 Looking down towards the main part of the display.

 A better view of Santa in the sky along with the arch of lights over the driveway. How about that Star of Bethlehem? They didn't miss anything!

 One last view of the house.

 This is at the end of the driveway by the telephone pole. A couple of years ago, they starting collecting for the Make-A-Wish foundation. They also have literature on Make-A-Wish to the right for you to take.

Pretty AMAZING, huh?!?!?

If I could interview them, I would have several question for them:

1. Where do you store all this stuff?
2. How long does it take you to put it all together?
3. What does your electric bill run?
4. Where's the Grinch?

 It is possible that I missed the Grinch. I'll have to check again the next time I pass by their display.

Have Fun!

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Santa?

I shared back on November 1st that Allison found out the truth about Santa. You can click here to see that post. Since that time, I have tried to get her to go see Santa one last time. She rolls her eyes and pretty much tells me there is no point since she really knows who Santa is. I told her that those who don't believe get underwear for Christmas and she replies "Yay, from their Mother!" 

Oh well. I finally gave up and accepted that her Santa days are over!

Unless . . . Santa isn't really Santa!

What? I'm confusing myself!

Take a look at the picture below. Does Santa look the least bit familiar? 

If you guessed that it's my Curtis, then give yourself a prize!

It IS my Curtis!

He volunteers for an animal rescue that predominantly rescues & fosters cats and kittens. It's the same rescue where we adopted Porsche from.

He gets to play Santa at Petco for pet portraits. He did it this last Sunday and is doing it on the 16th as well. He asked me if I thought they asked him to do it because he is good with animals or because he is the only one sucker enough to do it. Hmm...not sure but it's for a good cause so does it really matter?

So, of course, I had to get a picture of Allison with "Santa" and I think it's the best picture of her with Santa that I have ever had!

Her comment was and is priceless . . . "The last picture I'll ever have taken with Santa and it's my DAD!"


Have Fun!


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A Little Christmas Favor!

Sometimes around Christmas I enjoy doing something nice for the people that I appreciate. 

I don't want it to be too big of a gift because I don't want them to feel uncomfortable. I just want it to say "Thanks, I appreciate and notice you!"

Susan D. and I gave out these favors at our Santa wreath class on Saturday. 

Just a little something for the Moms to take home with them.

(They are brighter in person. In these pics they look a little washed out.)

I found the idea on Pinterest and knew I would definitely make these this year.

Click here to see where the idea originated.

Of course, I changed mine up a bit. I didn't do the raffia ribbon and I wanted a picture.

I found this Santa image on Google images and it was perfect since we were making Santa wreaths!

I also liked how he was waving with an open hand. 

I just used glue dots to attach the lip balm to his hand and I was all done!

Doesn't it look like he is holding the lip balm out for the recipient?

I thought so too!

I ordered the lip balms from Avon and there were 4 different choices.

They always have these cute ones at Christmas for only 99¢ so it was a done deal!

On a side note, if you order these for kids, you might want to stay away from the Cinnamon Spice because it is tinted red and looks like lipstick on! Ooops!

I also made up some without our names on them. I plan on handing them out to a few people whose service I appreciate throughout the year . . . like the bank teller at the drive thru window, the checkout girl at the grocery store, my favorite cashier at Goodwill, etc.

Also, if any of you are making these and can't find the picture, shoot me an email and I'll send it to you!

Have Fun!

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Silent Sunday's Inspiration!

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A Santa Welcome!

It's 24 days until Christmas!!!

I can not wait until it gets here!

Starting with today, I am going to try to share something Christmas with you every day until December 25th.

If anything else comes up during that time that I want to talk about or share with you, then it will be a double post day! Yippee!

Today I want to share with you the Santa wreath you see on my front door. My friend, Susan D., and I got together a couple of weeks ago and made them.

We were inspired by one we saw on Etsy but we changed it up a little bit when we made ours. We are so happy with how they turned out! They are so fun! A little messy with all the burlap dust but still so fun!

As a matter of fact, we are getting together with a bunch of our family and friends this afternoon to teach them how to make one for their door.

I can't wait for fun and fellowship with a bunch of awesome women!

Sadly, once it comes down off my door today to take with me for the demo, it's not going back on it. I get direct sunlight during the day on the front of my house and I'm afraid it will fade the burlap. I'll put it on my living room wall . . . high enough that a certain little kitten can't reach it!

Here is a close-up of the wreath. Although you can't tell from the picture, the letters are glittered.

After we made the wreath, I posted a picture of it on Facebook and ended up inspiring a friend of mine who lives in an adjoining state.

Here is her interpretation of the wreath. She looped her burlap . . . if looped is even word . . . I don't know.

Great job, Amy!

 This post is linked up to Dare to DIY: Deck the Halls at Newly Woodwards.

 Have Fun!

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Too Cute to Pass Up!

Since being laid off, I've been very mindful of our expenses.

I've always been frugal but now I find myself really looking for deals and being very cautious of every penny I spend.

I try to stay out of the stores because it's just TEMPTATION, TEMPTATION, TEMPATION!

I haven't even been to Goodwill . . . and if you know me, THAT is an amazing accomplishment!

When I see something I like, I've been asking myself if it is a NEED or a WANT?

Unfortunately, most of the time, it's a want! So I put the item back on the shelf and move on.

HOWEVER . . . I was in the Dollar Tree the other day and came across this ADORABLE wine glass that says "Happy Birthday" on it.

Seriously! How CUTE is that?!?

I immediately knew that it was going home with me but in all fairness, I had to ask myself "the" question.

 Is it a NEED or a WANT?

What do you think?

My first reaction was that it is a "pretty" so I needed to put it back.

BUT . . . you saw the "but" coming, didn't you??

I knew you were smart!  . . . even though a picture of it on my counter was a dead give-a-way!

Let's get back to the BUT!

But, I changed my mind and decided it was a NEED! 

Why a NEED?

Because my family is wonderful and anything I can do to celebrate the day God gave them life, I am going to do!

Yes! I decided that the $1.06 (includes tax) was well worth making my family feel special on their special day!

A new tradition has been born in our family and I love traditions!

Have Fun!

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Buy, Prep & Freeze!

I love to cook but I don't like spending hours in the kitchen. Well, sometimes I do.

I am all about tips and suggestions on how to make things easier and faster!

So with that being said, today I have a kitchen tip to share with you!

I'm sure you've seen these rotisserie chickens in your local grocery store and warehouse clubs. I've seen them at Giant Eagle, Sam's Club, Costco, Walmart and even the bigger Targets that have a bigger grocery section have them.

Have you ever tried them?

If not, go pick up one for dinner! They are yummy and cheap, cheap, cheap!

When I discovered these years ago, I may or may not have been known to bring it home, put it in my small roaster and throw it in the oven at a low temperature to keep warm while I buried the container in the trash. Then when Curtis came home, he may or may not have had the impression that I slaved over a delicious chicken just for him! Hmm...am I giving you any ideas?

Anyway, back to the kitchen tip. Not only does the rotisserie chicken make a quick dinner, it also can help you put a meal together rather quickly on any given night.

Sometimes I pick up a couple even when I am not planning on using them for dinner that night and this is what I do.

First, I debone the chicken. Hmm, that's a funny sounding word . . . debone. I think I'm going to use something else here.
Take two!
First, I remove all the meat from the chicken. You have to do this while the chicken is still warm. It's harder to do while it is cold. After I have done this, I cover it and put it into the refrigerator to cool.

After it's cooled, I chop it all up into bite size pieces.

And lastly, I divide it up equally and put the chicken into freezer bags (I get 2 bags per chicken) that I label with the contents and the date. When I put them into the freezer bags, I am sure to push all the air out of them before sealing. I also make them flat and lay them on a cookie sheet and put the whole cookie sheet in the freezer. Once they are frozen, I take out the cookie sheet and stack the frozen chicken nicely in my freezer.

As you can imagine, this makes life so easy!
  When I have a casserole, soup or pot pie to make, the chicken part is already done!

I also do this with ham and ground beef.

For the ham, I'll buy a quarter of a ham and get 2 portions out of it for scalloped potatoes and ham or breakfast casserole.

My Dad supplies me with beef from his cattle. So when I am back home visiting, I'll bring home 10 pounds of ground beef. I'll brown off 5 lbs. of it and package it in 1 pound portions. It is then ready for chili, meat sauce, lasagna, soups, shepherd's pie, etc. I also make some of it into taco meat before I freeze it so when it's taco/taco salad night, I'm ready to go!

Speaking of food and recipes, I tried a new one a couple of weeks ago for a Marsala Chicken Casserole. I'll put it up on my food blog in the next couple of days. I was a little hesitant when I tried it but the whole family loved it!

Do you have any kitchen tips you would like to share? Please feel free to leave them in the comments!

Have Fun

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Unused Cards of Christmases Past!

Do you have unused Christmas and Holiday cards from years past like I do?

What do you do with them?

I don't know why but I keep them in a zippered baggy in my office closet. 

Honestly, am I ever going to sent them out??

Heck no!

Well. Here is the answer to getting rid of or letting go of all those cards from Christmases past!

SEND THEM TO OUR HEROES!

Here is my stash of what I'm sending!

Now for the details!

The American Red Cross heads up the card collection and distribution.

The program is called "Holiday Mail for Heroes."

Click here to go to their website for all the details. 

Below are the Card Guidelines directly from their site:

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.

Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

• Ensure that all cards are signed.
• Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Only cards are being accepted. Do not send or include letters.
• Do not include email or home addresses on the cards: the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos: these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• Please refrain from choosing cards with glitter or using loose glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.
• If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate postal shipping boxes. Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.

 All holiday greetings should be addressed and sent to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

P.O. Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

The deadline for having cards to the P.O Box is Friday, December 7th. 

That is NEXT Friday, so get to it!

Mine are on their way!

Have Fun!

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