A Christmas to Remember

I will definitely remember this Christmas.  It is the last one before my twins graduate and start college next year.  I also got a wonderful gift!  My daughter made a collage with pictures of her and her brother and put it in a big frame.  I can't wait to hang it up!

After we opened presents at home, we went to my in-law's for our annual breakfast prepared and served by my father-in-law and brother-in-law.  It was delicious!  And then there were a few presents and we headed home.

My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew came over.  My mom was supposed to, but she is sick.  That is the only sad part about my day.  I can't remember a Christmas where I didn't get to see my mom... ever... until today.  Thankfully, everyone else was well.

After we opened presents, we had a big lunch.  The menu that I posted yesterday was a little different than what we actually had.  The grocery store had no asparagus!  And my husband decided we didn't need both rice and potato salad.  We had buttercream pecans and ripe olives as appetizers.  Our main meal consisted of Caesar salad, marinated pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, cauliflower in a butter and thyme sauce, green bean casserole, rolls, and butter.  My sister brought some spinach-artichoke dip, chicken and rice casserole, and baked mashed potatoes.  For dessert, we had a chocolate Bundt cake (from my sister), chocolate chip cookies, and Oreo-cream cheese cake balls that my daughter and I made.  Oh, it was so good!  And we have lots of left-overs

After dinner, we visited for a while, then we played a game of Cards Against Humanity.  I laughed so hard I almost cried!  To top it all off, I set up my new phone and watched the Rockets beat the Spurs!  What a fabulous day!  I hope you and your loved ones had a very merry Christmas!

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Christmas Menu

Some of the family will be coming over to join us for Christmas dinner this year.  Below is my menu.  Any suggestions?

Christmas Menu
Appetizers                           Deviled eggs
                                            Olives and pickles
                                            Buttercream pecan pieces
                                            Ceasar salad

Main dish                            Marinated Pork roast

Side dishes                          Rice
                                            Potato salad
                                           Green bean casserole
                                           Seasoned Asparagus
                                           Roasted Carrots
                                           Rolls and butter

Dessert                               Chocolate bundt cake
                                            Chocolate chip cookies
                                            Cream cheese/Oreo cake balls

My favorite Christmas song!!! So happy and cheerful. Who can hear this and not be happy? No one!

Seniors? When did THAT happen?

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Black Friday Working instead of Shopping

With only 23 sleeps left until Christmas, it's time to really buckle down and get some shopping done!  I love to shop for my family and friends!  This year, though, I work in retail (second job), so it was my first time ever to work on the other side of the register on Black Friday.  The last time I shopped on Black Friday was 2009 and before that was 2007.  It was quite a switch to be working, though.

I have to say... people were really nice where I work.  It is an upscale department store, not the kind of place where you go to get really good bargains, necessarily, although we had a few sales.  I work in the home department with all the china, bedding, crystal, small appliances, table linens, and tons of Christmas things... everything from beautifully decorated trees to ornaments, Christmas dishes, figurines, snow globes, gourmet candy, Waterford, Swarovski, Lenox, stockings, tree skirts, and so on.  I will be leaving soon, though, because I no longer need the second income.  I have enjoyed it, though.

I heard about crowds, fights, people using tasers, and all kinds of chaos again this year, so I think I will stay home from now on, or wait until the afternoon.  I also think it's sad that some stores are opening on Thanksgiving - not even waiting until Friday.

But I love buying gifts.  I love Cyber-Monday, too.  I really have to start making it look a little more like Christmas around here!  I've got some Christmas crafts to work on, Christmas cards, too.  I love it!   Did you brave the crowds this year?

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How to Roast a Turkey

Speaking of having only a few sleeps left until Christmas, that means that one other holiday is really close now!  Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving dinner!  Turkey, dressing (we call it dressing instead of stuffing), cranberry sauce (the jelly kind, not the berry kind), gravy, rolls, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, squash casserole, deviled eggs, black olives, and dessert!  That's what you might find on my menu... if I were cooking this year.  But, someone else is going to cook this year, and it might even be you.  So, here are a few links that will help you roast a terrific turkey!

Mom's Roast Turkey - rosemary, thyme, and onions, as well as a few other key ingredients, make this a special bird.

The Best Way to Roast a Turkey - the simple way.  No fuss!

The Perfect Bird - kosher salt, peppercorns, and a bay leaf might be what makes this recipe perfect.

A Simply Perfect Roast Turkey - the basting is the key to a juicy turkey.

Cooking Turkey for Chickens - five easy rules to cook a moist, delicious turkey.

Enjoy!

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Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

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Christmas is going to be here before we know it!  I love giving gifts!

Have you started your shopping yet?

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Haunting Halloween

I don't post very often lately because I'm working a second job.  I work in a large department store in the local mall in the home department.  At our store, there is a rumor about a ghost who lives in the second floor bathroom.  One of our custodial staff, a man, also claims to have seen her.  I'm sure other people have, too, but I haven't heard their stories, only his.  He says that he called out to see if anyone was in the lady's restroom so he could clean.  Hearing no one, he went in and started working.  Then out of nowhere, there is a woman (wearing cowboy boots) who walked right by him and out the door without looking at him or saying anything.  He thought he had been alone in there, so he came out and asked who else had seen her, but no one had.  So we assume she's our restroom ghost.

Tonight, Halloween, I was in the stockroom organizing some products for about an hour.  When I was almost finished, I heard this wailing.  It happened twice. Loud and mournful.  Scared the crud out of me!  When I came out of the stockroom, I asked a co-worker if she heard anything, and she had only heard a loud bump.  I was telling my department manager about it, and she says, "Oh, yeah, that's our ghost.  I hear her all the time."  What?

I guess she really exists!  I'm a believer!

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Wordless (almost) Wednesday

My sweet angels with their homecoming paraphernalia.

I'm linking up with WW.

Homecoming Part 5

Where my kids go to school, the seniors wear white and silver mums for homecoming, and the girls often add a color of their choice.  Although this year, my daughter has a boyfriend who got her a mum, I wanted to make one for her anyway.  I decided to add a little pink to it.  I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.  She liked it, too.

Here's a closeup of the three flowers.  There is a bear in the middle.  I put a tiara on her, although you can't really see it in the picture.  There are two pink hearts on the top right, a homecoming arch on the top left, and a senior start on the bottom.  I also used silver star garland.  I wish the backing showed up more because it's the part I thought I really did well on.

Here is the entire mum, complete with three foot ribbons in different patterns, colors, and styles, a boa, bells, trinkets, and curling ribbon.  It sort of looks gold, but there is no gold in it.  I guess it was just the lighting.  I wish it showed up better, but you get the general idea.  I had fun making this!

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Homecoming Part 4

Here are some more pictures from twin day. 

This is my daughter and her good friend dressed as pink power rangers.

My daughter and her boyfriend (who is also a power ranger).

And my daughter in her sailing senior shirt.

She also came to me at the last minute and asked me if I would make her boyfriend's garter because she didn't have time.  She had the ribbons cut, the backing made, and the trinkets picked out, so I put it together for her.

I hope he liked it.  She gave it to him on Friday morning.  Next up... her senior mum from me.

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Homecoming Part 3

One of the themes for homecoming week was twin day.  My daughter and 3 of her friends dressed as power rangers.  My daughter has on the pink tights, black skirt, and pink shirt.  A different friend of hers also dressed in pink, while this one was in blue.  Her boyfriend dressed as a white power ranger.  They are having so much fun!

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Homecoming Part 2

This is homecoming week at my children's school, and they are doing dress-up days every day.  Monday was Disney day.  My daughter made t-shirts for her and her boyfriend.  His says, "You are the Dory to my Marlin."  Hers says, "You are the Marlin to my Dory."  Aren't they cute?

I'm linking up with Wordless Wednesday, even though I just can't do wordless!  LOL

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Homecoming Part 1

High School football in Texas is BIG!  And the biggest game of the season is Homecoming.  The true purpose of Homecoming is to welcome back alumni and/or residents who have moved away.  It is a time for them to "come home" and celebrate.  Did you know that the birthplace of homecoming is considered to be the University of Missouri or Baylor University (here in Texas), depending on whom you ask?  I didn't, either, till now.  Baylor's first homecoming was in 1909.

Homecoming in Texas is more than BIG! It usually includes pep rallies, the homecoming court, dress-up days at school, tailgating, parades, a football game, a dance, and don't forget... mums!  I only came to realize about a month ago that homecoming mums are pretty much a Texas thing.

What started out as a sweet gesture has turned into a monster.  When I was in school, we used to make our homecoming mums with real chrysanthemums and lots of ribbons.  Now, for homecoming, the mums are silk flowers and the bigger the mum, the gaudier the mum, the better.  Boys also get a piece of the action they didn't get when I was in school.  They wear mums on a garter on their arms.  In our school, students wear their school colors except for seniors who wear white and silver or white and gold

My twins are seniors this year.  My son went to the homecoming dance as a freshman, but he hasn't gone since and doesn't plan to this year, but since he's a senior, I decided to make him a garter anyway.  Typically, if the student has a date, the date has the mum made.  Parents also buy or make them for their kids, and sometimes friends make them for each other.  They can get expensive when they're store-bought and done by professionals.  They're pretty expensive even if you make them yourself, but it's fun!

This is the mum I made for my son.  It's  a smaller version of a traditional Texas mum attached to a garter.  I always think that what I make isn't good enough, but my daughter said she liked it, so maybe I did okay.  Now, will he wear it to school and the game?  That remains to be seen.

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Shutdown

Does anyone remember the government shutdown 17 years ago?  I do, and I don't remember it being such a media frenzy like it is now.  I also remember that it was over fairly quickly, and we were none the worse for wear in the long run.

A few, quick bi-partisan thoughts about our current impasse...

I don't believe Congress as a whole will enact legislation that is in the best interests of the Average Joe if that legislation does not affect them.  Perhaps their salaries should be suspended until an agreement is reached.

I am wondering for whom the Affordable Care Act is going to be affordable and why Congress has exempted themselves from it.

If our nation runs with all of these non-essential services suspended, do we really need them?  Exactly what does non-essential mean?

And last, I wonder if the rest of the world is laughing at the US.  If we can't run our own government, what makes us think we can take over other country's governments or tell them how to run theirs?

No matter what, I am glad to be an American!

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Meet Rebel!

My son's FFA project this year is a pig.  Meet Rebel!

Quick Question

When you are typing or texting, which of these words do you use to mean hooray, and which words to mean yes?  Yea, ya, and yeah.  I contend that "ya" is not actually a word at all, and is only acceptable when texting.  It means yes.  I also contend that "yeah" means yes, and "yea" means hooray, which I prefer to type "yay."  What do you think?

Something on Saturday

I want to wish my sweet friend Tamy a happy birthday!  She lived about an hour's drive from me, for a while at least, and I sure miss having lunch and talking to her.  Go by 3 Sides of Crazy and wish her a happy birthday (the 15th).  She has a great blog, too.  Posts that are informative, fun, enlightening, and some great recipes, too.  She's a fabulous cook!  Happy birthday, my friend!

So many blogs don't post content on Saturdays, but I've decided to change that! The challenge is to post SOMETHING on Saturday. It can be a regular blog post, a video, a photo, a question for your readers, or whatever you want. It's your blog! So, post "Something on Saturday," grab the photo to use in your post, and leave your link in the comments. I'm going to figure out how to get a Mr. Linky up, so if you have suggestions or a tutorial to offer, that would be great!

Remembering 9/11

I remember exactly where I was. My next-door-teacher came to get me from my classroom to show me on the television what was happening. At first, I thought it was a Hollywood stunt. Then, I thought it was a joke. He explained it to me, and reality sank in. I realized why the skies had been eerily quiet that morning. I lived near a major airport, and I was so accustomed to planes flying over every few minutes, and there was nothing in the sky.

I was at the school where I taught. My twins, age five at the time, were at a different school for kindergarten. I know exactly where I was, and I remember how I felt, but I cannot describe it. I hope we never forget. I hope we are better prepared for a tragedy such as this, and I hope it never happens on American soil again.

Something on Saturday

So many blogs don't post content on Saturdays, but I've decided to change that! The challenge is to post SOMETHING on Saturday. It can be a regular blog post, a video, a photo, a question for your readers, or whatever you want. It's your blog! So, post "Something on Saturday," grab the photo to use in your post, and leave your link in the comments. I'm going to figure out how to get a Mr. Linky up, so if you have suggestions or a tutorial to offer, that would be great!

Fall is right around the corner... and I love Fall!  Things start to cool off just a little bit from these 100+ degree days we've been having.  There's excitement in the air about school, football, and upcoming holidays, crafting, and shopping.  Plus my birthday is in a few weeks!

 

What is your favorite season?

Thursday Thirteen

Who am I?  The Easy Version

1.  Child of God
2. Wife
3. Mother (and a pretty good one, I think)
4. Step-mother (not the evil kind)
5. Younger Daughter
6. Younger Sister
7. Aunt (the "cool" one)
8. Loyal Friend
9. 6th Grade Teacher
10. Retail Associate (loving my 2nd job)
11. Blogger
12. Scrapbook Addict
13. Avid Reader

And that's me!

Are you participating in Thursday Thirteen?

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Wordless Wednesday

Seniors!!!!!!

 

Visit more Wordless Wednesday here!

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Something on Saturday

So many blogs don't post content on Saturdays, but I've decided to change that! The challenge is to post SOMETHING on Saturday. It can be a regular blog post, a video, a photo, a question for your readers, or whatever you want. It's your blog! So, post "Something on Saturday," grab the photo to use in your post, and leave your link in the comments. I'm going to figure out how to get a Mr. Linky up, so if you have suggestions or a tutorial to offer, that would be great!

Have you ever been in the bathroom getting ready, reached for the "spray," whatever kind of spray you were looking for, and sprayed the wrong thing?  I reached for the spray deodorant after my shower, but it was not the deodorant.  It was hairspray.  Yuck!

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Something on Saturday

So many blogs don't post content on Saturdays, but I've decided to change that! The challenge is to post SOMETHING on Saturday. It can be a regular blog post, a video, a photo, a question for your readers, or whatever you want. It's your blog! So, post "Something on Saturday," grab the photo to use in your post, and leave your link in the comments. I'm going to figure out how to get a Mr. Linky up, so if you have suggestions or a tutorial to offer, that would be great!

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I have been working a part time job in retail this summer (my choice), and I have enjoyed it, not to mention the extra income, although all the time spent on my feet gets tiring.  But I go back to work full time Monday.  I'm not looking forward to it.  I'm burned out with my full time job, but I have to keep at it for at least five more years for retirement benefits.  I plan to work both jobs for as long as I can without getting completely stressed or exhausted.  I don't know if it will be possible to work both jobs during the holiday season since the one in retail is likely going to require extra hours, but it sure would help with Christmas!  At one time in my life, I worked a full time job, a part time job, had a direct-selling business, and 4 year old twins, and I never really gave it a second thought at the time.  I wonder how I did it!  I feel every ache and pain these days.  Have you ever worked more than one job, and how did you handle it?

Wordless Wednesday

Only in Texas!

 

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Something on Saturday

So many blogs don't post content on Saturdays, but I've decided to change that! The challenge is to post SOMETHING on Saturday. It can be a regular blog post, a video, a photo, a question for your readers, or whatever you want. It's your blog! So, post "Something on Saturday," grab the photo to use in your post, and leave your link in the comments. I'm going to figure out how to get a Mr. Linky up, so if you have suggestions or a tutorial to offer, that would be great.

Here in Texas, it is tax-free weekend.  This is the one weekend a year where we don't have to pay state sales tax on school supplies or clothing.  The stores are pretty packed, all so consumers can save 8.25% on any school-related items (not computers, but items whose individual price is $100 or less) such as uniforms and other clothing, backpacks, paper, pens, pencils, and so on.  So, a consumer saves $8.25 for each $100 he/she spends.  Frankly, I don't think it's worth dealing with crowds.  I'd rather wait until the inevitable sales and save more than 8.25%.  How about you?

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