Living My Happily Ever After

WFMW: NaughtyCodes

2008-02-27T11:19:00.003-05:00

I love using NaughtyCodes. I most often use it while shopping online. Just yesterday I was ordering invites through Vistaprint.com and was able to find a naughty code for my order. This is how it works with online ordering: There is usually a box for one to input a coupon code. I simply pull up NaughyCodes.com, click the pull down box and look for the company name from whom I am ordering. If there is a code available, it will show. Sometimes (like yesterday) there is a discount available, but no code is needed. When I clicked VistaPrint, there was an offer available for 50% off for previous customers. Just like that, I saw my totals change! I saved $7.30 off my total order. NaughtyCodes works for me!
To get other great tips, visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer. Happy Wednesday y'all!

a thank you to some bloggers....

2008-02-26T13:44:00.004-05:00

As many of you know I am not very 'puter savvy. (Dawn and Barb have helped me so much.) I just want to thank the ones of you on my bloglines list that use the Google/Blogger thingy for sign-in for comments. You see, I can remember my email address :-) and my password, but when you ask for my blog web address... Hello! LOL Yes, I may be 'puter lazy but I have to pull up my blog every time, copy/paste the web address, etc. Sigh. Maybe someone will give me a pointer on the URL thing.

2008

2008-01-31T09:52:00.000-05:00

A year ago, I wrote this post. Throughout the year, I thought about it, though admittedly I worked on those goals less as the year went by. God blessed our family tremendously during 2007. Too often I forgot to thank Him. I praise Him for all He's done for me and for so many new revelations.
As I look forward to the rest of this year, (Can you believe January is over??) I think these same goals I had last year are wonderful ones for which I need to continue to strive. I list them again for my constant remembrance:
Serving
Learning more about my God
De-cluttering my life
Being a better steward of God's blessings
I'm adding a statement from Bev, that I love. "...help when you can, where you can, how you can, but help!" I hope to keep this close at heart.
Happy, blessed 2008 to you all!

WFMW: Cleaning fireplace doors

2008-01-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

Over the years I have tried m.a.n.y. ways to clean the soot off our glass fireplace doors. We have a wood burning insert so the doors are always closed when we have a fire. (I HATE having an insert. I had rather see, hear, feel and smell the fire than to have the abundant heat an insert supplies.)

When I last purchased a product to clean my glass top stove, I bought Weiman Cook Top for the first time. It worked well for my stove, as has every product I have tried on my stove top. But...as I was reading the directions for use, I happened to notice these words: "Also excellent for cleaning glass fireplace doors". Oh my! It cleaned the soot off quickly, with very little effort.

Currently I have a fireplace candelabra instead of logs in the fireplace. (Did I mention I hate that insert?) It looks pretty with the doors shut or when lit with open doors.

I am so glad I read that one phrase on the back of the bottle of Weiman Cook Top! Head on over to see Shannon for more great Works For Me Wednesday tips!

Finally! A diet that works

2008-01-01T17:33:00.001-05:00

A most relaxing Christmas

2007-12-25T16:37:00.000-05:00

Boy, did I need this!

I awoke at 8:oo, not sure what time the Disney parade was set to air. I started the coffee pot and lit all the candles downstairs. It was definitely too early for a parade, especially in California, so I watched a Christmas episode of All in the Family. I am thankful for TV Land! Afterward I watched Live's last years version of Friday's show, which was wonderful. At 10, hubby came downstairs and we watched the parade. Such a peaceful, fun morning but so unlike our usual Christmas mornings.

Finally, around noon our two kids (young adults) awoke and we began our family Christmas. I popped the breakfast casserole I had put together yesterday morning into the oven to bake as we had our gift exchange. As always, we opened our gifts one at a time, exclaiming over the wonderful gifts and laughing at the lighter ones. After all gifts, stockings, and pets stockings were opened, we sat down to our Christmas BREAKFAST around 1:30.

Afterward, I began reading a new book Swan House, I received from one of my sisters. Hubby and I took a short nap. Austin has been watching new videos he received, Courtney has gone to a movie with a friend, Gary has gone to pick up his dad for a visit. I am sipping a Mimosa while listening to Christmas music and catching up with some of you.

Yes, I needed this calm. I hope all of you are having a fun, blessed Christmas.

Oh.My.Word.

2007-12-22T01:35:00.000-05:00

Someone, ANYONE, tell me this is not December 22.

All Decked Out!

2007-11-30T20:40:00.000-05:00

Look what Dawn at Barefoot Blog Designs did for me! She does such fantastic design work.

Thanks Dawn, for decking the halls here. Now would you like to come do the ones at my house? I've only been working on it for 5 days.

Dinner Date

2007-10-03T12:32:00.000-04:00

Don't you love it when your hubby calls and says "Don't plan anything for dinner tonight"? That's what mine did yesterday morning.
In this household, that can mean several different things. He may have had a meeting catered and has leftover box lunches to bring home. He may be in the mood for pizza, or may be taking me out for dinner. At any rate, it's a welcome directive.
Yesterday afternoon, I was getting my car tag renewed and began to write a check. As I pondered the day's date, it hit me. Yesterday was the 31st anniversary of our first date! Thirty.One.Years! Wow. October 2, 1976 we went to a Ga - Bama football game. October 2, 2007 we had a nice dinner at Olive Garden and I received a dozen roses. Have I mentioned I love that man? More and more each day!

Works For Me: The Brand-Loyal Edition

2007-09-05T13:17:00.000-04:00

When Shannon announced the theme of this week's Works For Me, I started pondering. I don't always buy generic (no generic cereal, thank you very much) but I do usually buy the name brand that's the cheapest considering sales and coupons. But there is one brand I am totally loyal to... Downy fabric softener.
I love the softness and lingering scent. My very favorite Downy scent is Mountain Spring, but I do use others. What is your favorite Downy scent?

Visiting

2007-08-30T10:05:00.000-04:00

I'm bringing my own coffee and visiting you today. It's been way too long. Almost daily I scroll through my Bloglines and skim over posts but I haven't had time to REALLY read nor comment in awhile.

I have many blog sites saved in my favorites that have not been added to my Bloglines. I will visit those first and add to my feeds.

I'm excited. Ding dong, I'm calling.

Way.Cool.Giveaway!

2007-07-30T09:03:00.000-04:00

Janice and Susan at 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away this Insignia® 37" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV donated by Best Buy! How cool is that? BTW, Best Buy is my favorite place to shop online for music. I can usually always find any old album I'm looking for, on CD and they deliver quickly and cheaply. Try them the next time you're shopping for music.
But for now, hurry over to see Janice and Susan to enter this great contest.

2007-07-19T23:52:00.000-04:00

I'm headed here:

with these and a few more:

to play:

and hopefully win one of these:

while having a blast meeting ones we play with online.

Have a good weekend!

Where's the beef chicken?

2007-07-17T08:51:00.000-04:00

So it's Tuesday. For weeks Tuesday night here has meant KFC Tuesdays. KFC offered a 2 pc. meal for $1.99 on Tuesday nights. Sometimes we have two people home for dinner, sometimes up to six. We knew that we could feed everyone for $1.99 each. That's a bargain! Plus, no cooking!
I knew it was bound to end. Last Tuesday when hubby went to pick up the five orders, he found the offer had been replaced. Still a good deal, but not good enough to make it a weekly event.
This morning I put together a casserole they can pop into the oven while I'm at work tonight. I used an old standby recipe given to me by my sweet friend Kathy when we were both newlyweds. This is a recipe I have used many times throughout the years when day visits unexpectedly turned into dinner company. It's not a recipe one would serve at a dinner party, but it's one in which I always have the ingredients on hand and can produce a meal within 40 minutes.

BEEF AND BEAN CASSEROLE
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can pork & beans, drained
1/2 cup catsup
fresh bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Brown beef with chopped onion. Drain. Add pork & beans and catsup. Top with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

I serve this with rice (Success easy boil in the bag kind, quick ya know) and garlic bread made from whatever buns or sliced bread we have in the pantry. This is a starchy meal for sure, but so very easy to throw together quickly.

I Hit the Jackpot!

2007-07-16T13:59:00.000-04:00

...at the Kroger deli. You didn't think I would actually win a money jackpot did you?
Kroger had their rotisserie chickens on sale for $3.99. That's a good deal and I use them a lot.. for dinner with veggies, sliced on sandwiches, and I make a low carb chicken parmigiana casserole with them.
But I got an even better deal. I happened to be there Saturday night when they marked down the ones left over that day to $2.49! I was in deli heaven. Today, I made those birds into a huge bowl of homemade chicken salad. Yum.

Reunited with Harry

2007-07-10T09:51:00.000-04:00

Whenever a new Harry Potter book comes out, Austin immediately dives into reading as I eagerly await my turn. Somehow this routine was disrupted when Half-Blood Prince came out. Austin was in high school and his girlfriend wanted them to read it at the same time. She was in the midst of reading another novel, so he waited a little while. Once he did finish reading this volume, I was busy with something and just never got around to reading it. A few weeks ago, I finally picked it up. Why oh why did I wait so long? I still haven't finished it...I stay so busy that when I pick it up at night I read 15 minutes max before I fall asleep. But, oh my how I have missed Harry Potter.
A young lady at church did point out that I am lucky to have waited. Now when I do finish reading it, The Deathly Hallows will be out! I won't have to wait a couple years like others have. Only until July 21, or soon thereafter when Austin finishes.

Interrupting the craziness to bring you...

2007-06-07T07:52:00.000-04:00

...a blog. Just in case you haven't had the fortunate opportunity to visit Carrot Jello at oinkledoinkle, treat yourself today. I sometimes don't enjoy blogs which have continuous music playing, but I never tire of her music. And just look at the name of the blog...oinkledoinkle. And her name, Carrot jello. And the darling sidebar. I always leave her site with a smile. Thanks, Carrot Jello for delightful visits!

Works-For-Me Wednesday: Priceline

2007-05-16T10:57:00.000-04:00

I love Priceline.com for cheap hotel stays. We use the name your own price option. Twice we have used Priceline for hotels here in the Atlanta area.
Once, we needed a hotel in the Orlando area for a couple nights before checking into our Disney hotel. We were able to secure a room in a very nice resort for under $50 night.
For our anniversary in March we wanted a quick getaway and won a bid for this Marriott hotel for $40 night. The online rate for that hotel was $179.
Priceline.com works for me!

Catching Up, of sorts

2007-05-14T15:53:00.000-04:00

At the end of March, Austin was home for the weekend. He caught a stomach virus hubby and I had just gotten over. The second day we could see that Austin was not getting over it as we did. We ended up in the emergency room and he was in in a Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) state and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He was in ICU for five days and a total hospital stay of eight days.
I can't tell you how far behind I got in EVERYTHING by being away from home for eight days. I still have not caught up. I do realize organized people would be caught up by now.
Austin has an excellent attitude toward his diabetes ("These things happen.") and is doing very well with his insulin shots, etc. I had to immediately get over my fear of needles. I often kid that I am allergic to them. But since this is now our lifestyle, I decided I would no longer fear them and God has blessed me in this.
Austin was able to return to school after two weeks, and worked hard to get caught up with his studies. He finished his first year of college with a B average which allows him to maintain his scholastic scholarships. We are so proud of him!

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-12T18:47:00.000-04:00

Well, Barb says my ~~party~~ break is over. BTW, I think Pamela partied a little too hard also.

I just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to you all. I'll be back in the swing of things next week. I will.

It's a Par-tay

2007-03-05T09:41:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my part of the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom. This is a great opportunity to visit other blog sites hosting parties and to win prizes! I am offering a pack of card stock, stamp set and stamp pad. Good luck to everyone. There are a lot of really cool prizes. BTW, leave me a comment to be entered into a drawing for another stamp set and stamp pad. Giving IS more fun than receiving. :)

Again, welcome to my party. Sit down, relax, have a cup of Starbucks Gold Coast blend. If it's a little too bold for you, I also have a pot of Decaf Kona brewing. I made a chocolate pound cake for you to enjoy while we visit and I tell you a little about myself.

I am an almost-empty nester. I have a wonderful hubby of 27 years. We have a sweet 21 year old daughter who attends a local university and lives at home when she's not hanging out at her friends places. Our fun 18 year old son is away attending a private state college. I miss him. He and I enjoy playing card and board games together. I treasure the conversations we have during these games.

I love visiting blog sites. My Bloglines feeds grow almost daily. I hope you have fun visiting all the sites hosting parties. I sure am!

Thank you for stopping by. I'll leave you with the recipe for the cake you've sampled.

CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

3 cups plain flour
4T cocoa
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
5 eggs, separated (beat egg whites)
1 t vanilla extract

Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside. Cream butter shortening and sugar. Add egg yolks. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Add vanilla. Fold in egg whites. Pour into a greased and floured (Bakers Joy, bay-bee!) tube pan. Place in COLD oven. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy!

Back to Basics and other Musings

2007-02-28T10:48:00.000-05:00

Side note to self: As this blog was intended to be a journal (once I get the hang of it), I suppose I should make quick posts ever so often to remind myself what's going on in my life. That way I'll later know why I wasn't blogging.

That being said...I have a few things on my mind. I've been in a rut with dinner ideas. It finally dawned on me to go to THE source I have available. The source is a compilation cookbook from my late Auntie's church. The cookbook is titled Druid Hills Baptist Church. If you should come across it ever, it WILL be worth whatever the price. These are my favorite kind of cookbooks...ones with real recipes from real people. This particular cookbook is from the 1970's when women cooked...often. Some of the recipes include ingredients no longer sold, some include ingredients not often used. Most use everyday ingredients. BTW, this cookbook also has many more recipes than are typically included in such books today.

This cookbook is the source of two of my very special recipes. My recipe for ___ and ___ that are better than any, bar none. These are the recipes you won't see printed on my blog and linked to any Mr. Linky. I don't refuse to share these recipes. When asked, I usually agree to share at a later date hoping one forgets. If asked a second time I will and have shared said recipes. There is a third recipe I use often that I will share at the end of this post.

Anyway, yesterday I suddenly thought to more often use this cookbook. I had fun thumbing through, making mental notes of menu ideas. Last night I made a Seafood Casserole that was superb. I plan to make a Green Noodle Casserole soon, using spinach noodles, chicken breasts and other yummy ingredients. Tonight though I am making Kalyn's Chicken with Green Chiles and Cheese. Sounds yummy!

I've been thinking also about the super-sized world in which we live. One rarely sees a 6 pack of soda cans anymore. Not only do we have 12 packs, we now have 24 pack cartons. Who can handle those suitcases? What about kitty litter? It once came only in bags...manageable bags. Then it started coming in boxes, usually with handles for easier carrying. Now it comes in boxes so big and heavy I can't lift them into the shopping cart, and I'm not what one would call a weakling. I wonder when they'll start marketing two gallon jugs of milk.

I need to get back to decluttering. Here is a recipe I have used as both salad and dessert. It's also fun to put in decorative paper cups for serving at luncheons, etc.

FROZEN FRUIT SALAD

1 medium size (Have fun figuring that one out in today's world.) whipped topping
1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk
1 can cherry pie filling
1 medium size can pineapple (crushed or chunk)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix ingredients and pour in oblong casserole and freeze overnight. Allow to thaw 15-20 minutes before slicing into 2 inch squares and serving. Makes a good salad or dessert and serves quite a few.

(As worded by submitter Mrs. Fred Jett)

Slumber Party

2007-02-16T07:21:00.000-05:00

It's going to be a 4 day slumber party! 12 - 14 of us are going here for the weekend to celebrate my Aunt Judy's 60th birthday.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I hope hubby works on the seemingly non-ending kitchen project...

She loves me, bay-bee!

2007-02-13T22:50:00.000-05:00

She loves me, she really loves me.

I Have Voted, Have You?

2007-02-12T09:12:00.000-05:00

I finally finished visiting all the sites of the finalists in the Share the Love Blog Awards. Some of the sites I was not familiar with and it was a lot of fun visiting. I especially enjoyed meeting Teri of Here's to happy women. Congrats to all the nominees and finalists...great sites! I cast my votes in 8 of the 10 categories and YOU can vote until midnight tomorrow. I tried to cast a write-in vote but just couldn't make it work. (In my best Anne Robinson voice... Susanne you ARE the best commenter.) Good-bye.

Favorite Ingredients Friday - Super Bowl part 2

2007-02-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

I've got my Super Bowl menu planned. I'll be making Barb's Sweet and Pungent Chicken Wings and her Party Potato Skins, my Spicy Beef Cheese Dip along with the following:

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

12 oz. mushrooms
medium onion, chopped
garlic powder
roll frozen crab meat stuffing

Remove stems from mushrooms, reserving 5 - 10. Break reserved stems into small pieces. Stir-fry stuffing, onion, stems in butter for 10 - 15 min. or until lightly browned. Add garlic powder to taste. Stuff mushrooms with mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes.

Head over to Overwhelmed With Joy for more great Super Bowl recipe ideas.

Meditations Part 2

2007-01-30T07:55:00.000-05:00

When Laurel posted her 2007 New Year Meditations post and invited us to join in, I started pondering but knew it would take a few days to get my thoughts together. I mean, these are goals for my life for the next 12 months. That's pretty hefty. So...I do have the rest of the year to work on these but I thought maybe I should finalize these thoughts before the end of the month.

As I mentioned, my heart is centered around redeeming the time. I can't list now WHAT I'm going to do, nor how. I hope to figure out the "how's" as I go through the year. These are a few things on which I feel the need to work:
Serving
Learning more about my God Thankfully, I was brought up going to church and being taught about God at home. Throughout most of my first twenty years I had a wonderful, wise pastor from which I learned much and still learn from though he is not my present pastor. The next twenty years I continued to learn; but in the past four years I have learned more about God than the previous forty combined. I don't say this lightly...I thank God for the blessings I am receiving. I was made to realize the Bible was written to ME. When I started taking His words more personal, what blessings I received. God has blessed my current pastor to teach me ever so much and I can never thank Him enough. I purpose to spend more time learning about Him.
De-cluttering Wow! My mind has been set on lessening the clutter in our home. As I'm typing I realize I need to unclutter much more in my life than material things.
Being a better steward of God's blessings Monetary and otherwise

So there are some of my goals for this year. As Laurel said, "this will be a post I am hoping to come back to throughout the year and see how God changed things, how some prayers were answered, and to see how God blew my mind on other things. And, God willing, I would love to come back and post December 2007 what God taught me through everything."

Attitude Adjustment Week

2007-01-29T12:08:00.000-05:00

I work part time as a photo processing technician. I love the work, the company, my manager, most of my co-workers. I work 2-3 nights a week and Saturday mornings. The biggest downside to my job I guess is not having a set schedule. My nights off vary each week. OK, there is another downside to my job. For 26 years my husband has known I DON'T DO TRASH. I'll do windows, but not trash. Each evening when I close up the photo lab, I have to do the trash! Ewwwww, that's a man's job.

Now that I've bored you with all that, I'll get to the point of this post. I have for whatever reason become burned out lately. But this week I am off all week until Friday night. That is four days straight! I totally plan to have an Attitude Adjustment Week. I have so many plans (and lists) to get projects done and household chores caught up. It's noon, and 27 degrees here. I have already washed the bed linens, washed bathroom rugs, straighted the kitchen and begun rearranging the living room furniture. I'm having a blast knowing I can stay in my pjs until just before hubby gets home. I'm going to make a big pot of vegetable beef soup for dinner. After dinner we may watch one of the three Netflix movies we have.

Have a great day all. I'm off the adjust the living room as I adjust my attitude.

Favorite Ingredients Friday

2007-01-26T08:36:00.000-05:00

WooHoo This week and next, the theme for Favorite Ingredients Friday is Super Bowl Edition. I love party type recipes. This week I'll share an easy, delicious guacamole recipe.

GUACAMOLE

1 medium tomato, diced
2 medium avocados
2 T lemon juice
1 1/4 t salt
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
4oz. can green chiles, chopped
fresh cilantro

This is how you mix this all together:

Yep, with your hands. Then place the avocado pits in the mixture until serving time. This keeps the guacamole from turning dark.

Head over to Overwhelmed With Joy for more great recipes.

Thursday Thirteen of a somewhat different type

2007-01-25T10:08:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Blogs I have enjoyed visiting This Week

1. Jen
2. Wendy
3. BooMama
4. Trina
5. Shannon
6. Susie
7. Cid
8. Mariah
9. Tammy
10. momrn2
11. Susanne
12. Kalyn
13. Judith

These ladies are not on my sidebar and I may not comment each time as I would like while visiting with them. I have most certainly had wonderful visits. Thank you, ladies.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Win a Free Apron

2007-01-25T09:38:00.000-05:00

Head on over to Smockity Frocks to enter to win this darling vintage style apron.

Cute, yes? Read here about how fun it'd be to wear one of the aprons she makes.

*All entries due by midnight tonight.

Bittersweet

2007-01-17T11:46:00.000-05:00

I'm a little sad today. I decided awhile back to redecorate my kitchen. We are also doing a little remodeling.
My kitchen "theme" for around the past 15 years has been gingerbread men. Yes, gingerbread men. Aren't they cute little fellas? It has been an exciting challenge to find non "Chrismasy" ones to display year-round. My best find was wallpaper border. My recipe cards even have gingerbread men. I add the Christmas ones during the season.
Today is the day I am taking them all down... from the walls, the shelves, the counters. I'm packing away all the ones I think I'll use next Christmas. The rest are being thrown away or put on eBay. It's ironic that some I treasured finding (non Christmasy) are the very ones I'm getting rid of.
My new decor is going to be sort of Tuscan... French chefs and a coffee cafe mix. I guess I'm doomed forever with a kitchen challenge. My new one is finding French chefs that don't pull in a wine theme, as they so often seem to do.
As for remodeling, hubby spent the last weekend putting a new counter top, sink, and faucet set. He's still working on a back splash as well as the smaller counter top.
I'm going to Google, looking for a cute little man to add to the top of this post. Perhaps that will bring a smile as I finish packing them away.

For Kelli...

2007-01-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

BooMama has written about a very special need of one of our own bloggers. You can go here to read about Kelli and her need for a kidney transplant. We have the awesome opportunity to help Kelli by donating as little as $1.50 today. Please prayerfully consider donating and most of all pray for Kelli and her family. There is a Make A Donation click at the bottom of BooMama's post. Just click HERE to find the button. Have a blessed day.

Works for Me: Eating Well

2007-01-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

Shannon has a themed Works-For-Me Wednesday this week. I'm adding one of my favorite recipes.

CHICKEN EGGPLANT
Peel and slice an eggplant into 1/2 in. slices and lay them flat in a baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and seasoned salt. Place chicken breasts skin side down on top of the eggplant. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 min. Remove the foil, turn the pieces of chicken over and continue baking until the skin is golden brown.

This recipe works for a low carb diet. If one wishes to lower the fat, use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and keep the pan covered for the full hour of baking.

Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more Eating Well tips.

Meditations

2007-01-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

Ever since Laurel Wreath asked us to post our hopes, dreams and goals for this year, I have pondered what I would list. Many things come to mind. Some are difficult to word. A few may be difficult to type here. Some are quite easy to talk about. The common thread they all seem to share comes from Ephesians 5:16. I wish to better redeem the time.
I expect over the next few weeks to begin journaling about some of the things I'm pondering. For now, I wish you a Happy New Year and invite you to read others New Year's Meditations. Thank you Laurel for hosting this thought provoking idea.

Deck The Halls, Y'all!

2006-12-19T11:49:00.000-05:00

You're fashionably late. No wait, I am the one that's late. Sigh. Thank you, BooMama for hosting this!

(Playing in the background...Harry Connick Jr.'s When my Heart Finds Christmas. Scents dispersed throughout the house include Yankee Candle's Home Sweet Home, Home for the Holidays, Holiday Sage.)

Welcome to my home! I'm so glad you stopped by. Enjoy some shortbread and spiced tea, two of my favorite recipes.

This is our tree. We always get a real Fraser fir.

Much to hubby's dismay, we have one of these cute singing and dancing Santa's. :)

This is our kitchen table. If you look close you can see the little stockings hung on the chair.

This year I put a Christmas tree in every room. The ones in the bathroom are the tiny ones, but still a tree in each room. This is the one in our bedroom.

This is one of our Christmas Countdowns. We have a few collected over the years.

I think Blogger is saying I'm out of photo room. I had another picture to share; I will do so in a following post. Thank you so much for stopping by. Merry Christmas to all! God bless.

Happy Birthday

2006-12-17T08:32:00.000-05:00

You ARE my happily ever after. Happy birthday honey!

My Cup(board) Runneth Over With Chex Mix

2006-12-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

I was taking a break while making my 6th batch of Chex Party Mix and wandered over to Kentucky Gal's site and saw this cute little game.

Google Game:
1. Google for Christmas (or the December Holiday of your choice) plus the year of your birth.
2. Post the most charming picture you can find.
3. Get misty with nostalgia over hot cocoa and peppermint cookies.

The reason I picked this picture is to prove to my kids we DID have color TV back then. (1958)

Excitement's in the Air

2006-12-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

I am so excited about tonight. There's only one show I watch regularly on TV and the only one hubby and I both like...Survivor! Every Thursday is date night. We usually have dinner at home but sometimes go out, albeit to the wrong restaurant. Tonight we're dining in.

The only other time I watch TV is when I go to bed. I watch either Nickolodeon or TVLand. Tonight is Nick at Night's Holiday Marathon. I won't go to sleep until at least midnight when tonight's second episode of Roseanne (I know, gasp!) goes over.

I'm going to be sooo tired when the alarm goes off at 5:10 tomorrow morning but this night comes just twice a year. I'm excited.

The Stocking are Hung by the Chimney Table with Care

2006-12-01T08:25:00.000-05:00

For the past few years, I have hung a small stocking on Courtney and Austins chair at our kitchen table. Because everyone in our house DOES have their own "place" at our table. My friend Cherie really thinks that's funny, as they do not have a particular place in which to sit at theirs. I thought we were normal, well at least in this regard. Everyone here sure knows not to sit in Mama's chair.

Anyway, each morning in December they awaken to a gift in their small stocking. It's just one way we count down to Christmas. I'll try to remember to post pictures of our different countdowns in a couple weeks when you all will be invited into my home via Boo Mamas Christmas Tour of Homes.

Austin is away at college this year, so I will only be filling one stocking for the first two weeks. Courtney will awaken to hers in a short while...

24 Days of Christmas

2006-11-30T12:03:00.000-05:00

I'm not trying to make myself busier by planning something for every day of December. I'm just trying to make sure I enjoy my favorite season more than I have the past couple years.

December 1: Attend Party
December 2: Christmas Parade
December 3: Walk Through Bethlehem
December 4: Address Christmas Cards
December 5: Watch a Christmas Movie
December 6: Eat by Candlelight
December 7: Nick at Night Christmas Marathon
December 8: Make Gingerbread House
December 9: Office Party
December 10: Potluck at Church
December 11: Bake Christmas Cookies
December 12: Wrapping Blitz
December 13: Mail Christmas Cards
December 14: Christmas Lights Drive
December 15: Read the Story of Jesus’ Birth
December 16: Visit Malls to View Christmas Decorations
December 17: Gary's Birthday
December 18: Invite a Friend for Lunch
December 19: Bake for Neighbors
December 20: Watch Polar Express
December 21: Sleep Under the Christmas Tree
December 22: Deliver Gifts to Neighbors
December 23: Family Party
December 24: Christmas Eve!

HOLIDAY MEME MEME MEME MEME MEME

2006-11-29T08:45:00.000-05:00

Whew, I think that's enought Meme's. I found this one at Barb's place where you can trace it's path. :)

I've been busy, busy but since this is about Christmas, I couldn't resist doing it.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When the kids were young, Santa never wrapped. It's oh so much easier now that he wraps. Christmas Eve is much more relaxing.

3.Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored, though hubby is thrilled that I'm beginning to see the (white) light.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Who needs mistletoe?

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually a couple weeks (or more) before Thanksgiving. However, this year when Austin comes home for breaks I want it to feel to him like Thanksgiving break and later Christmas break, so I have been decorating the past two days. Does it ever get finished?

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Aunt Judy's dressing which is the best, bar none.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Waking up to big bicycles in the living room that held my favorite ever type of tree... an aluminum tree with color wheel. Ever seen one?

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Gradually I would pick up little hints, whisperings, etc. My mom always wondered how I "just knew" every such secret.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Never

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Lots of colored twinkling lights and lots of hodge podge ornaments. We have wooden ornaments, hand crafted ornaments, Hallmarks, ones the kids made through the years, ones my dear mother-in-law made for my son in his youth... Hodge podge, and I love it.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love, love, love it but we live in Georgia. Sigh

12. Can you ice skate? Ummm no

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I have many. One of my very favorites was a box of soaps of the month. I LOVE bubble baths and different scented soaps. Another favorite was a bath caddy from my hubby. It has a book rest, holds a candle and goblet.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Baklava

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We have many. I guess my most favorite is waking early on Christmas morning, exchanging gifts, then having our traditional breakfast casserole that I prepare on Christmas Eve. It bakes while we are exchanging gifts.

17. What tops your tree? A star. The star sometimes varies, but always a star.

18. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving? Definitely giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? Yuck

P.S. I won’t tag anyone, but please feel free to play along at your blog, or answer any of the questions here in the comments.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T08:41:00.000-05:00

Enjoy your blessings!

What a Week!

2006-11-17T12:56:00.000-05:00

I made my weekly lists on Sunday, as usual. You know, the ones that often never get looked at again. I did have high hopes this time, as Thanksgiving is approaching and many things need to be done.

I did make dinner for hubby on Monday, before I headed to work. This is always a goal that usually doesn't happen. I have no trouble planning and making dinner on the evenings I'm home, but the two or three evenings I work each week he is often left to fend for himself. So, the week had begun good plan-wise.

As we were leaving for the hospital early Tuesday morning, I stepped off the edge of the walkway and severely twisted my foot. I was in pain all day, had a huge foot covered (hopefully) by flared pants and clog-style shoes. Anyway, this was one of those times where you just do what you have to do and worry about it later. Sixteen hours later, we arrive home and assess what's really going on. Not that I've been through this before, no not klutz me. The self-assessment is aggravated tendons. Hmmm I got those words from someone else months earlier at a lab. Klutz!

Of course this IS the week I look at the lists made on Sunday. The lists that have grown longer and of which NOTHING has been crossed off. I made new lists today...Honey-Do lists. He has been asking me to all week. I have no problems making Honey-Do lists for "he" things that I need him to do. I DO have problems making the lists for "my" things I need him to do. But I did...

LooksTastes Like PayDay

2006-11-16T09:04:00.000-05:00

Shalee's post about this gave me the idea for posting this:

Take these:

Add these:

For another sweet and salty snack that's great for Thanksgiving. Tastes like a PayDay candy bar!

Thursday Thirteen

2006-11-16T08:34:00.000-05:00

THIRTEEN (of many) THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR:

1. My hubby

2. Two fun kids, definitely different yet so alike

3. My church and wonderful friends there

4. My computer and AOL with whom I have a love/hate relationship

5. Mark Burnett

6. meds

7. My Ya-Yas who you will no doubt hear a lot about later

8. Books

9. Coffee!

10. The Bible...it was written to ME

11. Laughter

12. Cherie

13. Nick at Night

Christmas Tags...of a different kind

2006-11-15T21:05:00.000-05:00

Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this, but don't let that stop you if you don't want to play - all tags are "at will". Copy and paste this into your blogs and then answer...let me know if you have done it by commenting so I can read yours! (Go to comments to copy/paste just the questions)

1. What was your most memorable Christmas like?
Waking up and walking into the living room and finding new bikes. One of my favorite memories of this scene is the aluminum tree with the colored light wheel. I adore those still!

2. What was the best gift you ever received as a child?
Tie: My own set of luggage and a Thumbelina doll

3. What is your favorite cookie/candy to make at Christmastime?
Spritz cookies - I color the dough green and shoot out Christmas tree shaped cookies.

4. What does Christmas mean to you?
Family! You see, we try to celebrate Jesus' birth each day of the year. Christmas day is a time we try to slow down after the hustle and bustle of the season and focus on family.

5. What are your plans this year?
Many, many plans are being made. Making lists, checking them thrice and hoping we don't trip too many times.

6. What kinds of gifts do your kids desire?
My kids are grown...18 and 21. They desire electronics, music and clothes.

7. Which ornament that you own is the most special and why?
Oh, I have many special ornaments. My very favorites are the ones my kids made through the years. I also dearly treasure two that my mother-in-law made for my husband when he was a young boy.

8. Does your tree have a decorated theme ~ or is it mix matched?
Mix matched, though my husband greatly misses our themed trees BK (before kids).

9. Do you do anything special on Christmas Eve?
Stay home! I probably watch more TV that night than any other one night of the year.

10. When do you start your Christmas shopping?
January, though I do the bulk of it on Black Friday.

11. What is your opinion of the Christmas season in general?
It's truly the best time of the year. I LOVE everything about it.

12. What do you love about Christmas?
I love the feeling... everyone in general is in such fun spirits.

13. What traditions do you hold that you do every year?
We stay home all day on Christmas Day. Now that the children are older they sometimes go to friends houses later in the day but hubby and I have had a rule that this day is a day for our immediate family.

14. When do you open presents? Christmas Eve? Christmas morning?
Christmas morning!

15. What was the best gift you received as an adult?
Oh my! Probably the necklace my hubby gave me last year. (OK that's as far back as my memory can go.)

16. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Joy to the World and Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

17. Do you watch special movies and shows during Christmas?
Yes, I watch many Christmas movies and every Christmas show, including cartoons, that I can. My very favorite is the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

18. Do you send out Christmas cards or family letters?
Cards

19. Do you have a special breakfast or meal on Christmas day?
We have the same breakfast every year consisting of Sausage Egg Casserole, cinnamon rolls and apple sauce. Our Christmas dinner varies.

20. Do you decorate your whole house or just the living room area?
The whole house, including bedrooms and bathrooms.

21. Do you decorate the outside of your house with lights?
Most years we put up some lights, but not as many as I would like!

22. Do you exchange gifts with your friends?
Yes

23. Do you have a sad Christmas memory?
Nope

24. Do you sing in a cantata or sing Christmas specials?
Nope and the world rejoices.

25. Does your church have Christmas services?
No

26. Do you do anything to celebrate Jesus?
Not anymore at Christmas than any other time of year.

I accepted the tag while reading Karen's blog.

Works-for-Me Wednesday

2006-11-15T20:00:00.000-05:00

Shannon is sponsoring the first annual Christmas edition of Works-For-Me Wednesday.

My biggest Christmas help is the Christmas Countdown at Organized Christmas. The countdown is great for organization. I also love many other features of this site. It has many wonderful message boards with tips on Decorating, Gift Basket Themes, Recipes, Gifts in a Jar Ideas, Holiday Budgets, and more. Organized Christmas...It works for me!

Petition

2006-11-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

Y'all please pray for our nephew as he receives his dad's kidney today...

Favorite Ingredients Friday

2006-11-09T11:38:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite recipes to make on those days when I didn't plan ahead. It does take 2 hours to bake, but the prep time is minimal and I usually have the ingredients on hand.

Someday I will get the hang of blogging and be able to think ahead to take pictures of everything I do, just in case.

SAUCY BAKED PORK CHOPS

6-8 pork chops
2 med. onions, sliced
2 cans cream-of-mushroom soup
6 T catsup
4 T Worcestershire sauce
Shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown chops in shortening. Place in large casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Brown onions in the same frying pan as chops. Arrange cooked onions over chops. Mix all remaining ingredients in the same fry pan; heat. Pour over chops and onions. Cover and bake 2 hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be sure and visit our hostess with the mostess, Overwhelmed for more great recipes.

Date Night

2006-11-03T10:12:00.000-05:00

Hubby takes you to dinner... $50

You choose the place....... $50

You go in, sit down, order
drinks, realize you're not
even at the restaurant you
thought you were at........... Priceless

Works-for-me-Wednesday: Hairapy

2006-11-01T08:10:00.000-05:00

A plug for another of my favorite products - Sunsilk Hyrda TLC shampoo and conditioner. This stuff works great on my ~~dyed~~ chemically treated dried out hair, which of course tends to be even more dry in winter months. The best part... One can find it at the local drug store. The second best part... The cost is under $5.00!

Need hairapy? Try it for yourself with a free sample.

Be sure to visit Shannon for more Works-for-me-Wednesday great ideas.

Daylight Sanity Savings Time

2006-10-31T10:20:00.000-05:00

The recent time change is just one of the reasons fall is my least favorite season. I think I have a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) but hubby says if they had not named it I wouldn't have it. His way of saying it's horse puckey. Of course he says I don't have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and did not like me telling you so. He prefers to think, Ok he knows better, but prefers YOU to think I'm normal.

Sigh, no sign of normalcy here. Mommy Dearest posted a notice on a list I am on reminding us to turn back our clocks Saturday night. Not that I needed reminding...I had been dreading the time change for weeks, but hubby and I were looking forward to an extra hour sleep! I turned back my alarm clock one hour, set the alarm for 7:45 AM, and got to bed at a decent time. Early the next morning I awoke and immediately jumped up to make sure Austin had made it home safely from a date the night before. Thankfully he had. :) I then checked my cell phone to see if I had any missed messages or calls during the night. Finding none, I noticed the time was 5:50. Two hours before my intended wake up time, but 5:50 is still later than I get up on weekday mornings, so I decided to go ahead and stay up. I turned on the coffee pot, let the dog out, sat down to check email, blogs, etc. I read, and read, and read as typically happens in blog land. I had been up for a long while...looked down at the clock on the computer. 6:00! What? It was 5:50 over an hour ago. :::sinking feeling::: My cell phone was apparently not set for auto updates, so I had unintentionally gotten up at 4:50! Stinkin' time change. Why can't they just leave my Daylight Savings Time alone?

Surprise

2006-10-27T07:47:00.000-04:00

The four words I would love to hear right now..."Mom, I'm coming home". The words were actually something like "You get to chill with your son tomorrow afternoon." They work as well. :)

Austin is in his first year of college. He and I are very close and it was really hard on me when he left yet I am so excited for him. The school is only an hour away, so it's really a good situation.

Anyway, when he returned to school after fall break a couple weeks ago, I didn't think we'd see him again until Thanksgiving. Last night while we were chatting on AIM (thank goodness for Instant Messengers) he slipped in that little bit of info. He will be leaving after class today and I pray he has a safe drive.

This Mama has some peanut butter cookies to bake...

Works for Me Wednesday - Downy

2006-10-25T09:56:00.000-04:00

I am a Downy fanatic. I never use any other fabric softener. My favorite scent is Mountain Spring but I sometimes switch to April Fresh for a nice change.

...Then along came the new Simple Pleasures mood enhancing scents. Vanilla & Lavender sounded nice, but I am sooo stuck on my Mountain Spring scent. One day a nice sale enticed me to try the Vanilla & Lavender scent. What I discovered is a very lovely scent! The mood enhancement of this particular scent is Relaxing. Not something I want to wash hubby's work shirts in. :) Don't want him falling asleep during the hour commute!

I do however love to wash our bed linens in Downy Vanilla & Lavender. It is indeed a relaxing, yet soft scent.

Visit Shannon for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!

Making a List(s) and Checking it Twice

2006-10-25T07:32:00.000-04:00

I love love LOVE the Christmas season. I however haven't enjoyed it much the past two years. The main reason is I started working outside the home three years ago and though only part time, it has turned my schedules upside down. The other reason is...time flies! I mean really it seems as if we had Christmas just four months ago. I'm sure some of this has to do with the aging :::gasp::: process of life.

I am determined to enjoy Christmas this year. I am once again doing the Christmas Countdown at OCC. I'm still tweaking my list of things that I will simplify this year, such as sending store bought cards instead of rubber stamping my own. I am a little sad about this, but in the long run I will be happy with my decision.

I spent yesterday starting to prepare my kitchen for the season. The fridge is cleaned out... expired condiments Gone With the Trash. Everything is organized and shelves were removed, washed and placed back minus the leftovers some of which were older than, well let's not go there. Then I attacked the pantry. Expired items...Gone! Bags of rice and such with just a smidgen left...Gone! Things that I had purchased and didn't use (canned green bean casserole ???) went into a box in which I will later add items I buy for food drives.

Today I must tackle a job I have been putting off. I need to take pictures of items I plan to sell on eBay to take advantage of the holiday traffic. I don't mind the photographing but what a hassle getting everything together. Tis the season!

2006-10-19T09:49:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Things I like1.bubble bath 2. coffee 3. beach 4. Yankee Candles 5. Rook 6. pedicures 7.~~trashy~~romance novels 8. blogs 9. board games 10. digital camera 11. snow 12. sleep 13. dates with my hubby

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

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Love/Hate Relationship

2006-10-18T15:16:00.000-04:00

Blogger, I really feel I will love you later. Right now though, you're not on my good side. I'm sure we will work out our relationship in the long term.

In the meantime, if someone can tell me how to fix the following problem, you will help Blogger's case... When I am typing a post, I have trouble starting a new paragraph. If I hit "Enter", my cursor disappears. I can begin new paragraphs with HTML, but man is that a slow way to go!

Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style

2006-10-18T07:31:00.000-04:00

Overwhelmed With Joy!is hosting Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style. I thought I would join in with a couple recipes but I am going to start with one, as I try to learn Blogger.

Spicy Cheese Dip
1 lb. sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 1b. cream cheese
1 lb. Mexican Velveeta
1 can cream-of-mushroom soup
1 can Rotel
1 medium onion, chopped
Brown sausage, beef and onion; drain fat. Melt cream cheese and Velveeta in a microwave oven; add to meat mixture. Add soup and Rotel. Mix well. Serve hot or cold with bagel chips or tortilla chips.

Welcome!

2006-10-13T12:45:00.000-04:00

The very first thing I want to say is THANK YOU to Dawn for the wonderful work she did on my blog site. I have OCD tendencies and thankfully Dawn has much patience. (I would start a new paragraph here if I knew how. Ha!) I began reading blogs a couple months ago and thought what fun it would be to start my own journal. I hope you will join in as I stumble my way through Bloggityville. I'll need to work on my photo publishing skills but for now this is a 5 month old (sigh) picture of my family.