Last night, I made our Christmas card. What can I say, I guess I have no life sometimes. I should have been running, however hubby was a little on the sick side, so he wasn’t feeling up to it and I didn’t want to get a day ahead of him.
So I worked on our Christmas card.
I brought it to work and showed a few people, and had someone tell me I wrote it wrong.
So tell me, if I put Love and a last name, doesn’t it get an apostrophe s at the end?
like for example:
Love the Jones’
Love the Smith’s
Love the Arbunkle’s
etc etc… I asked my parents who are very good at grammar and they told me yes, it does have the apostrophe… Anywhoooooo
Did you notice I also changed the header of the old blog here? I have never used picasa until last night, but I really think I like it… although it was a new learning curve which threw me for a loop and made me a tad grumpy. Oh btw, that’s where I made my Christmas card too.
How and when did I become an uncool older person?!?!
When I was younger my grandma bought me socks every year for Christmas. I can remember thinking… Oh boy, more socks {insert sarcasm!}.
Then as I got older, I LOVED getting new Socks {no sarcasm at all!}.
When my grandma passed away in 2007, shortly before Christmas I asked my mom who was going to buy me socks now? She asked me if I needed socks. I told her, No but that’s not the point. Grandma ALWAYS bought me socks for Christmas.
So jump forward to Monday of this week or maybe a bit before.
When my {step}daughter (she’s 9) started getting a bit bigger and out grew the socks she had, instead of buying her any (because I’m horrible and kept forgetting) she just started wearing mine. Mine fit her just fine, she likes the low cut kind which is what I have a bunch of, so it was just easier so I didn’t have to try and keep socks separated.
Two weeks ago though, I bought her socks. 6 pair in fact. They are the low cut kind she likes. And so easy to keep them separated from mine because they have Hello Kitty on the top (like the top of your foot – top).
She loves Hello Kitty so I thought she’d be extremely excited.
Unfortunately they’ve been at my parents house until Tuesday of this week.
Monday she was walking around a store with us and I saw socks and I was so excited that I had to tell her I bought her socks. I think my heart was crushed though because she looked at me and said, They’re just socks.
I was like but they are new socks and they are just for you. Again she said, they’re just socks.
I was like but they have Hello Kitty on them. She’s like, “Mom (remember she calls me that), they’re just socks.”
Right then I looked at hubby and said, “Wow, I’m so uncool! When did this happen?” He said, “She’ll like them when you actually give them to her.”
She was a little more excited when she actually got them in her hands…. but maybe that’s b/c I gave her so much grief.
I also told her my sock story and she told me she’d get me socks for Christmas… LOL 🙂
But come on people aren’t they cute?!?! Please don’t leave me hanging here!
One of the things in my life I really didn’t get from my mom was a love for cooking. I hear at one time she loved to cook, but as I got older she wasn’t a real big fan of it, or so it seemed. In fact when I still lived at home I cooked a lot of the time. I must have gotten it from my Grandma J. She loves to cook. Now that’s not to say that my Grandma S wasn’t a fabulous cook but she always claimed she never liked to cook. Truth be told I went through an “I don’t like to cook” phase.
At Christmas time my mom volunteered to have her work Christmas party at her house. My mom is so funny because that’s not something she really likes to do so she was a little panicky. I told her not to worry, I’d come over that Sunday before her party and help her cook. Their menu included some Tastefully Simple cheese mix balls, Stuffed Mushrooms, Chicken Piccata, Lasagna Rolls, and some kind of a cake for dessert.
I told her not to worry because I’d prep as much of the food as I could. This was one though, I actually wish they’d have saved me a piece of!
Chicken Lasagna Rolls with Creamy Marinara adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat the olvie oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and the garlic to the pan and saute until the chicken is cooked through, stirring often.
Remove from the heat and let cool. Place cooled (to the touch) chicken
in a large bowl with 2 cups of the ricotta cheese, the Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and the nutmeg.
Stir to combine.
In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce with the remaining 1 cup ricotta cheese and stir to combine.
To make the lasagna, cover the bottom of a 9x13x2inch baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara mixture. Lay 4 noodles flat on a dry work surface.
Spread about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat twice more to make 12 lasagna rolls.
Drizzle the rolls with the remaining marinara mixture and top with grated mozzarella.
Bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.
I didn’t get any pics of the finished dish or even get to try any… mom came home the night of her party, pulled it out of the fridge so the pan could come to room temp, baked it and they gobbled it right down but I heard some really great reviews 🙂
note: The original recipe called for shrimp but we subbed in Chicken instead.
I just grabbed a handful of the 687 photos I took for Christmas. Now you’ll have to understand, these photos range from putting up the tree, decorating the house, putting together Christmas presents, wrapping, cooking, opening, etc… so yes those photos add up very quickly :).
Because my parent’s rock, we got a new Christmas tree this year.
Scrooge, I still couldn’t get my fill of Christmas songs. Hey, it happens! :).
One song that just cracks me up is “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”.
And of course it is such a catchy song that it kept getting stuck in my head. I went all around both work and home singing this song. I’ll bet I was every bit annoying!
Since Christmas Eve was Saturday we got Friday off {one of our paid holidays}. We ran a few errands and then went to my mom and dad’s house to pick up presents to bring to our house. When we got home there was a note on the front door saying Fedex had left a package. Hubs just grinned and wouldn’t tell me what it was other than, “a present”.
So I went on about my business carrying stuff in the house and placing presents under the tree. Hubs walks in and says, “I can’t wait any longer, you’re getting a present early.”
Um…. OK…….
Not gonna lie, I was a little nervous something was going to jump out at me…
Of course, it was a Hippo… I should have guessed, right?!?!
Isn’t he cute!
I got my Hippopotamus!!
So the next day {Christmas Day} I was walking around singing Alvin & the Chipmunks, Please Christmas Don’t be Late. I was singing the part about wanting a Hula Hoop… hahaha… Wonder what’ll show up next Christmas… j/k Hubs… I don’t need one! 🙂 Although it might be a good, fun workout… Oh well, Christmas is over 🙂
I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.
I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: “There is no Santa Claus,” she jeered. “Even dummies know that!”
My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her “world-famous” cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.
I don’t know why either. Christmas is my mostest favoriteist (yes, that’s a word/phrase, didn’t you know that) time of the year… really between Thanksgiving & New Years. But this year, something is eating at me. I don’t know what it is. I can’t explain it. I feel like a big grouch. I want this feeling to go away!
I’m sure the fact that I have a cold trying to take me over isn’t helping my mental clarity.
However, I had a nice encounter at the store the other night. It made me smile. A lot. And I think that’s just what I needed.
Hubs didn’t feel real well and asked if I’d stop and get him Sprite. Now, if you know me any at all, I’m not crazy about Sprite, I prefer 7-Up. So I stopped at the store but the Coke products, including Sprite, were 5 for $5. Now we’ve pretty much given up drinking pop at our house (soda for those of you that don’t speak my lingo) but lately I’ve wanted something other than tea or water, so when I saw the 5 for $5 I thought hmmm… that’s a good deal. Of course I only ran in to get a 2-Liter bottle and a tub of ice cream so I didn’t grab a cart or a basket so you should have seen me, I was the sight walking through carrying 5 2-Liter bottles of Coke (and Sprite). I still wanted ice cream (really thought I’d eat that for dinner but then didn’t) so when I got over to the ice cream cases, this nice man looked at me and said, “Thirsty?”.. I laughed and told him I couldn’t pass up the deal. I told him my husband wanted some so I stopped to get him and saw the deal. So we made small chat and he walked off telling me to tell my husband to get to feeling better and Merry Christmas. Ah, I love the sound of that small phrase.
Then I got up to the cash register juggling my 5 2-Liters and my ice cream (healthy I know) and a nice man who only had a huge deal of coffee & a gallon of milk let me in front of him so I could set my items down. That small gesture was so super nice. Now before me he let another lady through with 3 2-Liters in her arms, so I made him check out before me, but was so super relieved that he let me set mine down first. Another Merry Christmas was involved. See, it’s the small things in life like that, that you just don’t realize how they can make someone else feel, it could make all the difference in the world.
So I guess maybe I’m not a complete scrooge, I’m just not ready for this Christmas. It will be here and gone before we know it and then we’re stuck with dreary old January. LOL.
On a different note over the weekend I received a lovely Christmas card from my bloggy friend Jill from Jill’s World and a cute pair of Santa Earrings.
Aren’t they just the cutest? Sorry about the pic quality… I did it via Instagram. I play on there every once in a while… look me up, Boomerbear is my name.
I had another great surprise in the mail this week. FernValley Appaloosas sponsored a give away a few weeks ago for one of her lovely 2012 calendars and I won! Mine showed up in the mail Monday of this week!!
You should really go pay these gals a visit!
Hope you’re having a wonderful Thursday… I’m going to go de-grump-ify myself 🙂
Cheerio
p.s. Did you realize today (December 22) Winter officially begins and therefore it is the shortest day of the year?? Starting tomorrow we’ll be closer to the summer solstice. See there’s always something positive, right 😉
Ever since Sunday Night dinner this last weekend and Earl talking about misspelling Christmas to Chritmas (she got distracted), that’s how I seem to want to say it.
Don’t worry, I know the reason for the season and I’m all about Christmas and not Xmas however I did have someone show me how the X is a Roman or Greek or something (I forget now) symbol that stands for Christ somehow… but anyway I’m still all about spelling it out!
Anyway since Christmas is Sunday and I’ll bet some of you still haven’t run out and bought me a Christmas present yet, I’ll do up my Christmas list for you…
1. Back in junior high, a kid that sat next to me in Science class was always in to these foreign sports cars. I learned at a young age what a Lamborghini was, and so I’ve always joked that I would like one. It wouldn’t be very practical for me, but heck, a girl can dream big right?!?! Then a couple years ago I made a deal with some guy at work that he’d buy me one if something happened (heck maybe hell had to freeze over, I don’t really remember the deal), but I told him I wanted a lime green one.
2011 will work, the 2012 would be better, but I would like a F350 Super duty, King Ranch, Crew Cab, 4×4. I really don’t want a dually, I prefer the single wheel although if you want to get me the dually, I won’t object! And have you seen the interior of a King Ranch? It’s the Cowboy Cadillac of interiors!
3. Now, as I walked around the Futurity a few weeks ago and oooh’ed and ahhh’ed about the living quarter trailers, I’m torn. My mom has always said, if you’re going to “go on vacation” because showing horses is fun, why have to clean up after yourself… so she has a point… so I’m not sure if I’d like a trailer with living quarters in it or not… But I would like a 5 or 6 horse slant trailer please. I won’t be picky and you decide if you want to buy the living quarters or not for me, k? I do prefer an aluminum one though… lighter weight, better gas mileage for the truck 🙂
**via**
4. Now that we are decked out to drive to work, haul to horse shows… let’s move on to a new house. I would prefer a thousand+ acre ranch, but I won’t be picky. I’d settle for 250-500 acres.
5. I also like a good Tiffany’s anything. Can’t go wrong with Tiffany’s! Ask Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany’s played by the lovely Audrey Hepburn)
But the truth of the matter… I went extreme extreme here. What do I really want for Christmas? I want my family. All the money in the world can’t bring what really matters to me for Christmas. Yes Money is nice and helpful but let’s not lose sight of the TRUE reason for the seasons. With the economy the way it is these days, not everyone can afford a lot of things, and it’s ok to say, No, I can’t or won’t buy you that.
That’s not to say that if someone gave me one of these or all of things I would turn it down… LOL… So please send all presents to me…
Haha, but truthfully remember what the reality of this time of the year is and never lose sight of that. We really need to teach our children this too so that we never lose sight!
This weekend was a fairly busy weekend, being the last weekend before Christmas. Wow, can you believe that Christmas is this coming weekend!?!? Unreal!
So I can’t completely tell you what I was up to this weekend, anyway not Saturday. It involves a Christmas present that I’m not ready to reveal yet… but here are a couple cute shots…
Audrey and I were hanging out on the trampoline. There are steps that we’ve given the {step}daughter & friends to use to get up there, Audrey has learned how to jump up them, but Miss Marlie hasn’t yet. She wasn’t quite sure how to get up there…
I about froze my butt off on Saturday. By the end of the afternoon, I was chilled to the bone, but see, I was out there right along side hubs, dad & FIL (Father-in-law)
Then, hubs threw Marlie up on the trampoline with us. Once Audrey and I jumped down for a few, Marlie wasn’t sure she wanted to be up there anymore, but was unsure how to get down.
Then Audrey got back up there with Marlie. They got all excited when my FIL walked past them.
I know, so vague but I don’t want to share presents just yet 🙂
Sunday I went to my parents house to help my mom get ready for her work Christmas party that is tonight.
I should mention that Saturday, while sitting outside all afternoon, I really, really wanted cinnamon rolls. So since I was at mom’s house already dirtying up her kitchen cooking food for her party tonight, I made cinnamon rolls! 🙂
So one of the things that I made for mom’s party is stuffed Mushrooms. I thought with Christmas and New Year’s coming up and possibly all the parties you may attend, I’d share her recipe with you, since it is different than mine :).
Mom’s Stuffed Mushrooms Ingredients Hamburger Mushroom caps & stems Small can chopped Black Olives Mozzarella Cheese Butter
Directions 1. Brown up the hamburger
2. Then wash the mushrooms. Separate the stems from the caps. Keep the stems though.
3. Chop the mushroom stems up real fine. Add to the hamburger mixture.
4. Since mom bought the small can of already chopped black olives, just open the can and dump in. If you don’t buy the chopped, well chop them up real fine 🙂
5. Finally finish off with melting in Mozzarella Cheese.
6. Now this was the point when my mom decided to tell me to spray the pan with cooking spray {I never do so this was new to me} so I had to hunt somewhere down to move the mushrooms to so I could spray my pan.
7. Now start stuffing your mushroom caps
8. Once you have all the mushroom caps stuffed, this is where you’d put them in preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked.
And take the horses words for it… they’re kicking good… LOL
