Can You Relate?

My Christmas Garland

Reading Nester's blog inspired me to go out and make my own garland for Christmas this year! I wasn't as creative as some of the ladies, but I hit the after Thanksgiving sales at Michaels and picked up two strands of cheapo garland, and some swags with pine cones...all fake, so I can use it next year. I also picked up some berries, but I couldn't work them in. Thanks for looking at my handy work!


We don't have a mantel, or a fireplace. But, I thought my kitchen bar/counter worked quite well.


Ben helped me hang the garland. It tied ribbons throughout the garland to give it more color.


I love this Christmas stocking. I found it at a local bazaar (the same bazaar I purchased the cute stuffed pumpkin). I wanted to get two stockings, one for me and Ben, but I couldn't find two I liked, and this was the last one left. I decided it was large enough that we could share!


I set up my nativity scene on the counter. It was a gift from a dear church friend. I think she purchased it in Mexico. It fits perfectly with the decorations!

I ended up tying the berries with gold ribbon and placing them on the counter. I think it makes for a nice display.

Thanks for looking at my garland! To see more beautiful garlands, head over to Nesting Place and read "Your Garland is Showing!" Blessings to your Christmas season!

Our Thanksgiving 2008

As promised, here are some pictures from Thanksgiving!



I loved our Thanksgiving table setting! I had fun creating this quick and easy centerpiece for the main table. I moved our normal centerpiece for the smaller table.

Look at these cute cornucopias I made for party favors. I took sugar cones and filled them with candy corn, and fruit runts. I saw the idea on the family fun website. They were originally meant to be name cards, but I omitted that part.

I printed this Thanksgiving greeting off Country Home magazine's website.
It was perfect for our bookshelf!

Thank you for looking at my Thanksgiving decorations. I hope to have our Christmas decorations posted soon. I am still in process of decorating. We bought our tree last weekend. I enjoyed decorating it with Ben!

Uh Oh, Where'd it Go?

Before I post Thanksgiving photos, I have to share my turkey prep story.

Ben and I hosted Thanksgiving this year. Therefore, it was my job to get the turkey in the oven....and take out its neck and giblets....yucky. I set the turkey down, and pulled out its neck. It was still a bit frozen, so I had to tug. I pulled out some more ice chips, and went to find the bag o giblets. Only, they were not there. I could not feel them anywhere. I rinsed out the inside of the bird, but I still couldn't find them. I shined Ben's flashlight down into the bird....it was completely empty....no giblets.

So, I called Ben's mom. She had never experienced a case where a turkey did not have its giblets. However, she did accidentally cook them in the bird one time, and the turkey did not suffer. I figured it was safe and I went ahead and put the bird in the oven. The bird cooked nice and brown and four hours later, it was out of the oven and Ben's dad took on the carving duties.

As he neared the end of carving the bird, my mom exclaimed "There they are!" He found the giblets. Where were they? They were stuck way down behind a piece bone. The only way I could have removed them was to cut off the other part of the turkey and pull them out!

Fall Decor

Since I am going to start decorating our home for Christmas, I decided to share my fall decorations with you before it was too late!

I started decorating in mid September. Here are some of my first decorations.

Leaf Garlands and Orange and Yellow Gerber Daisies
adorn my kitchen cabinet ledge.

I added Thanksgiving pictures to my frames.

For our table centerpiece. I placed a candle in a wreath of fall flowers.

Ben gave me these perfect fall plates for our anniversary!

I picked up the pumpkin trivet at a Harry and David's Outlet store.
I did not know I needed it until I saw it!

On the plant stand, I arranged a pumpkin and some more flowers.

Even my bookshelf got a touch of fall with the simple leaf arrangement,
fabric base and autumn colored card.

Isn't this pumpkin cute? I found it at a local bazaar and could not resist.
I look forward to using it for many years to come!

Next, I will post Thanksgiving pictures!

Fall Scarecrow Treats

Check out these cute scarecrow cookies I made for our church group! Ben thought they were snowmen. Actually, almost everyone who saw them thought they were snowmen. But, they did concede that the cookies had hair...not usually found on snowmen.

The cookies are sugar cookies from the store. I frosted them with vanilla icing. The hat is a sugar wafer cookie, mouth is a Twizzler pull apart, hair is leftover bran cereal, the eyes are chocolate chips, and of course, the nose is a candy corn.

They weren't to difficult to make at all. Ben helped me and we finished in under an hour.

The idea came from one of my new favorite craft and cooking sites: Skip to My Lou.

Voting

The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one.
A man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worships or gets married.
A man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet.
If he has ever seen a fine sunset, the crimson color of it should creep into his vote. …
The question is not so much whether only a minority of the electorate votes.
The point is that only a minority of the voter votes."

— G.K. Chesterton

Security

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

"O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home!

Under the shadow of Thy throne Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God, To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in Thy sight Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night, Before the rising sun.

O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guide while life shall last, And our eternal home!"

Guess the Mystery Object

If you guessed an old butterfly mop, yes you would be correct. You get extra gold stars, however, if you said the tool my husband used get the dead mouse off our back porch!

Last week, I opened the back door to walk outside and saw a dead gray mouse laying on the concrete. I shrieked from the surprise, shut the door, and did not go back outside until Ben kindly took care of it!

My Chicken Strip Basket

Ben introduced me to the chicken strips and fries baskets at Red Robin. We have taken to splitting the basket so we do not get too full. Plus, in doing so, we save room for dessert....(apple crisp!) A few months ago, I decided to create my own strips. They are healthier, not quite as tasty, but Ben loves them! For last week's meal (featured above), I added potato fries as well.

Chicken Strips Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Slice two breasts of thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts into four to five strips each.
3. In a shallow bowl or dish, (I eyeball this part) mix about 1/2 to 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, about 1T or so Parmesan cheese, some Italian seasoning, a couple pinches of pepper, and whatever other seasonings you see fit. That is all I usually put though. It is not necessary to over do it.
4. Individually place strips in crumb mix and turn to coat. Arrange on a wire rack set on top of a sheet pan.
5. Place in oven. Bake, uncovered, for about 12 minutes.
6. Remove from oven. Turn strips over.
7. Place back in oven and cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes longer, or until no longer pink inside.

Potato Fries

1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Peel and slice 2 russet potatoes into wedges or strips.
3. In a plastic bag or container, mix 1T olive oil, a couple pinches of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoons of your desired seasoning (dillweed, parmesan cheese, basil, or a combination).
4. Place potato slices in bag, shake to mix.
5. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Spray foil with PAM.
6. Lay potato slices in a single layer on the foil. Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes. Check every 5 minutes to rotate the potatoes with tongs or a spatula.
7. Potatoes are done when lightly browned and crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.

Thank you for reading about my dinner. Let me know if you try it yourself!

A Little Tuesday Morning Humor

Zits is always funny. Today is no exception. Enjoy!

Crafty Spiders

Aren't these spiders cute? My aunt made them for halloween. She said the candy spider was made with a Hershey's Kiss, black pipe cleaners, and googly craft eyes!

You Betcha Baby!

On a whim, I reserved "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" at the local library. I remembered reading a positive review of it, but I did not really know what it was about, nor if I would like it.

I am so glad I did! I loved it, and highly recommend it! Sadly, I had to return it before I could watch it again.

This is a sweet romantic comedy set in 1939 London. Frances McDormand plays Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, a middle aged governess who finds herself out of work and homeless. On a last try to gain employment, she poses as a social secretary for singer/actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams).

Miss Pettigrew is the daughter of a vicar and she holds morals and ideas about love that stay strong throughout the whole movie. Lee Pace, Mark Strong, and Ciaran Hinds also star.

If you enjoy romantic movies, this is a must see!

Let me know if you enjoyed it!

More Cowbell!

Update: Just in case you are not familiar with it, the cowbell.dj website was inspired by a famous SNL skit with Christopher Walken. Watch it here...


I was listening to the radio the other day and they mentioned this website, More Cowbell.dj that gives any song a little more cowbell. Check it out! (note: it sounds cooler than it actually is, but Ben and I used this with a Mozart song the other night and he laughed a lot)

I posted a couple of samples below. (My apologies to Mr. Holst). It kind of sounds normal with the country song though....

	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

Title IX

One of the concerns with Title IX....

"In 2005, a suspicious fire destroyed an old wooden snack shack behind the boys baseball field. In an amazing show of force, parents, players, coaches and community members raised money to rebuild bigger and better.

The end result, after more than a year of tireless volunteerism ---- hosting fundraisers, hitting up hardware stores and rebuilding things with their own hands ---- was a two-story concession stand, announcer's booth and tiered seating.

The project might have cost $750,000 if completed by traditional means, but the parents did it themselves without taking any money from the school district.

While the boys enjoy the fruits of their labor, the girls are still playing on the same old field. They can't share fields because the dimensions are different.

Now federal education officials are investigating allegations that officials at Temecula Valley High School discriminated against female athletes in violation of Title IX."

Keep reading the article here....

Thrifty Fun: Creating Cookie Tins!

Check out this great idea from Pink and Polka Dot for creating cute, stylish cookie tins out of old thrift store finds! (Hat tip, The Nester) I cannot wait to try it!

Two Years!

Happy Anniversary!

You are my best friend and I love you very much!

Change of Plans

Ben and I planned on going camping with his parents this weekend. However, we canceled the trip due to rain. So, instead of spending Saturday hiking in the great outdoors, Ben and I sat on the couch the whole evening and finished watching episodes of Season 2 of The Office. (I got the set at the library, so we only had 1 week to get through an entire season.)

As always, there were some incredibly funny moments:

Creed forgetting to get Jim a present for the Secret Santa party and instead pulling an old shirt out of his closet and throwing it in a bag.
"Jim Halpert: He clearly forgot to get me something, so he went into the closet, dug out this little number, and threw it in a bag.
[cut to Creed]
Creed: Yep. That's exactly what happened."

The entire Injury episode
Dwight trying to put out the fire "The Fire."

And as true to The Office some incredibly awkward moments as well:

The rest of the Christmas/Secret Santa Episode
Michael Scott: So Phyllis is basically saying, 'Hey Michael, I know you did a lot to help the office this year, but I only care about you and oven mitt''s-worth.' I gave Ryan an iPod!

Michael's speech at the salesman convention (especially the deleted scenes. That was pure torture).
Michael acting like a baby on his birthday.
Michael Scott: Somebody got donuts for my birthday!
Toby: Happy birthday!
Michael Scott: You didn't know it was my birthday.
Toby: I guess I forgot.
Michael Scott: Well I guess I forgot to give you a donut.
Toby: You're serious?
Michael Scott: Mmm.

And of course, I loved any storyline that centered around the Jim and Pam romance!

Season 5 starts on the 25th! I cannot wait!

What's your favorite Office moment?

Cling Free!

I've always used the fabric softener sheets in my dryer to prevent that horrible static cling. Over the years, I read e-mails about how they can interfere with heat sensors, or coat the lint filter and make the dryer work less effectively. They can also coat the clothes with harmful chemicals.

Although I realized the problems they cause, I did not know of an alternative. Not using them was not an option....the thought of peeling my clothes apart after each load made my hair stand up on end!

I read about the As Seen on TV dryer balls, but mom tried them and said they only worked part of the time. I also read about using a ball of aluminum foil, putting a bit conditioner on a washcloth and throwing that in (someone said the conditioner got all over their clothes), and throwing in a plain dry washcloth. Plain dry washcloth....that seemed easy enough, so I thought I would give it a shot.

It works really well!

I use a plain white washcloth for my white loads. The white washcloth left little fuzzies in my dark load, (you were right about that, mom) so I found a dark blue washcloth for them.

I don't know why it works...if someone does, let me know. My bath towels are not quite as fluffy as when I use a dryer sheet. However, my clothes are soft and do not stick together at all! Plus, I save on the cost of the dryer sheets too!

Mc Cain Picks Palin

Just in case you did not already know!

Camping at Sherwood

When Ben and I first started dating two years ago, he worked weekends. So, he would drive down Thursday evenings, and I would drive up Sunday evenings. Once, however, he was able to get a Saturday off. He surprised me with a day of hiking at the Tamanawas Falls near the Sherwood Campgrounds. Yesterday, we went back to the Sherwood Campground and camped overnight near the river. We left Wednesday morning around ten, and got there about 12:00, just in time to find a nice spot right near the river and have some premade sandwiches. We were going to sit by the river and eat our lunch, but it was too windy.

Instead, we decided to go exploring around the woods before we had to set up our tent. This was my first time at the campground, but Ben has camped here many times before, so he is familiar with the terrain. We walked up the river until Ben found two logs which we could walk on to cross the river to the other side. Unfortunately, we do not have pictures of this....I wish I did. But the first log was quite skinny and I decided to let Ben cross the river by himself. However, the second log proved thicker and sturdier, and I felt a bit lonely watching him travel on, so I called him back to help me over. I walked around the first log and he hoisted me up the second log. The second log was a large tree that had fallen over. The roots were massive. I did not get a picture of it, but it looks similar to the one posted below

(I thought the picture of the tree was awesome! Look at all the roots needed to hold that tree up! Ben reminded me that there might be even more roots in the ground.)

We made it safely across the river and Ben lead me through the forest. We stepped over trees, ducked under branches, trotted up the hill, until finally I started to feel like Ben must feel when we go shopping at the housewares department at Ross.....is there a plan, or are we just wandering around? I asked Ben, and he assured me he did have a plan. We finally found the designated trail. After that, we walked back to a massive log that had intentionally been turned into a bridge to cross the river. It was right near our campsite. We never needed to find our own makeshift bridge, we could have taken this to begin with. I did tell Ben I wanted an adventure. When we got back, we set up the tent. It was pretty windy, so I helped Ben stake it down.

(Our campsite)

Later that afternoon, he built a fire and we fried burgers in my cast iron pan over the hot fire. We also tried a new recipe I found for dessert called "Rum Baked Bananas in Foil." It is courtesy of The Oregonian, but they adopted it from "Campfire Cuisine" by Robin Donovan...hmmm, I will have to pick up that book.

For the recipe, you....

1. First, take one banana, still in its peel, and slice lengthwise through the length of the peel and the fruit, leaving the underside of the peel intact.

2nd. Pull the slices of the banana apart and sprinkle 1/2 T butter, cut into small pieces, 1T brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. You can also add 2t dark rum, but we did not.

3. Close the banana back up and wrap it in aluminum foil. I double wrapped mine, just in case.

4. To cook, you place it directly on the coals (or grate if using a gas grill) and bake 10-12 minutes until hot and soft. Remove, discard foil, and eat with a spoon.

We put ours on the grate over the fire. We cooked it maybe 5-6 minutes and the foil was starting to singe, so we took it out. When we opened the foil, the butter and sugar had melted, leaving a nice gooey mess! The banana was not quite mushy enough, so we could have cooked it longer, but it still tasted great! Ben gave it his seal of approval....which is always the deciding factor for me!

We roasted some marshmallows, but it got dark pretty quickly, so we went to bed soon after.

The next morning, we woke up, had some oatmeal, and went on a short hike to get warmed up. The sun was starting to shine through when we got back, and I got this beautiful picture of the sunrays hitting the river.

We decided not to spend another night, so we had some lunch

(Grilled chicken and hot dogs)

And then I read by the river until it was time to pack up the camp and come home! Thank you for reading about my camping adventures!

It Begins!

After failed attempts at iWeb and the fact that my "girly" posts didn't always match with Ben's gray and black background, I have finally decided to branch out on my own! Be prepared for a variety of posts on homemaking, cooking, policy, and the simple joys of life!