Weekend Wordle/SWS

(join Shannon to join in the fun)

Babysitting for two sleeping boys...ahhhh.

Yeah. They are adorable and sweet and I even elicited big huge giggles out of the 4 month old earlier this evening...but now they are in bed and *I* am catching up on blogging and the last couple of Medium episodes.

Last night I sang in the backup choir for a friend of mine from college. Her name is Timbre and she is an incredible harpist and singer. Visit her page to hear an example! It was a blast and I was amazed at the talent in the room! She and her 3 siblings are a complete musical powerhouse. Even Anthony was blown away. The bonus was tht she set up a "non consumerism" holiday shop and had local artisans bring in their stuff to sell. It was the first time I've ever had a chance to sell my stuff outside of word-of-mouth or my Etsy shop. Since I had to sing part of the show, my friend Mattie agreed to sit behind my table and sell for me. We arranged a barter--she gets free jewelry :)

One of my faorite professors from college is actually my Timbre's father, so he was there. On my way out he asked if I was still singing. I told him "church" and he kind of shook his head and said "well, maybe tonight will inspire you to do more out there?"

Flattering. Something to think about.

Ok...off to be creeped out by more Medium!

ps...speaking of that Etsy shop, visit it in the next couple of days--new stuff will be posted soon!

pps...I finally gave up on this week's Thursday's Ten. I had forgotten that my camera was out of battery, and had to charge it up Thursday evening. So we'll combine ornament pics with this week's...Christmas traditions/memories. They kind of go hand in hand anyway. Sound ok? All right...

Bring on the goosebumps!

Bad Haiku Friday

Sneezes by the fire
Snot bubbles drip from your nose
Forget Yuletide songs

White mint gelato
Might as well apply to hips
Heaven in a spoon

Facebook iPhone app
Uploading pictures all day
Addiction: worsens

Thursday's Ten Announcement

I announced it here

I went through my regular routine Monday-Wednesday.

And I still forgot. To post a blog about 10 of my favorite ornaments...with pictures...I need to actually take pictures of the ornaments.

Duh.

So...come back this evening. That will give all of you time to take ornament pictures as well! And now you've been warned :)

But, this isn't a completely wasted blog. I don't often get political/patriotic on this blog because while I have strong feelings on those particular things I choose very carefully the content I'm willing to put out there for debate and comment.

However...while I have not had positive feelings about war/invasions, etc...I do have friends who are serving in the military. I do support our people in uniform, regardless of their location on the globe.

One of my friends posted this link on facebook today. It's a website called "Let's say Thanks" and is a site where with a few mouse clicks you can send a postcard and message to a soldier overseas.

It's a small thing...but as we're all in our flurry of activity surrounding the holidays, it's nice to pause and say thanks.

See you all back here in a few hours--with ornament pictures!

Sometimes it Just Takes a Fuzzy Sweater

Let me just put something out there.

I hate winter.
Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.

There are a few things about winter that make it bearable.

Snow
(which somehow negates the cold air around it. I turn into a big kid in snow)
Scarves
Gloves
Boots
Hats
and the occasional

Warm Fuzzy Sweater

The perfect WFS will have the following attributes:

touchability - you know, the kind that makes people come up to rub your arm just because your sweater looks so soft and comfy? I'm a big texture girl. Give me something that I can feel great in and I'm a happy girl.

warmth - what good is a thin sweater? None, I tell you.

versatility - can be worn with work pants or jeans and boots...even the occasional skirt!

cheapness - finding a good bargain is part of the thrill

and lately,

ruffles - just to indulge my feminine side!

(kind of like this one)

Indy trip: the hometown edition

Our trip home went fairly smoothly. Here are a few highlights!

First stop: the Schnitzelbank where we treated mom and dad to their birthday meals. They both ordered the salad bar (huge sigh) which is typical...but Anthony and I both enjoyed some great German food!

Next was the M's house. I told Anthony on the way up that we should stop there because they have an obscene amount of Christmas lights. He was confused about my use of the word "obscene" until he saw it for himself.

We ended Friday by going home and to bed...pretty much. Lots to do the next day!

Saturday dawned with my parents fixing breakfast for the first time in ever. This slowed us down considerably, but we finally headed out the door to meet my friend Nicole for coffee at P-burg's very first coffeeshop and cafe. It was amazing. No one had coffee. I saw they had sweet tea and immediately jumped on that. You can't get that just anywhere in Indiana!

From there to Dotty's house where they had a huge meal of roast and potatoes and all the sides...even cake and ice cream. We chatted with them awhile and then rolled our full bodies on out the door...

for the P-burg Christmas parade. Anthony experienced his first small town parade. It began with every ambulance and fire truck in the town, sirens blazing (heaven forbid someone have an emergency during the parade!)

contained tractors and golf carts

bagpipes (?!?)

flatbeds and tow trucks
(I lost count)

Anthony's favorite part was seeing all the backed up traffic at the end
We went back to mom and dad's after this and packed up the car...but I had to say goodbye to Squeak first!
On to Indy, which I'll blog about tomorrow!

Back Home Again...

in Indiana!
We're here for the weekend--took my parents out to my favorite German restaurant tonight and tomorrow will meet one friend for coffee, others for lunch, and then we're going to the teeny tiny town Christmas parade that is tomorrow afternoon. Immediately after that, we're headed to Indianapolis to go to the Colts/Titans game on Sunday with another good friend and her fiance.

Busy, busy, busy--we're packing a lot in, but I LOVE this trip home!

So if you don't see me for awhile, you'll know why!

Thursday's Ten: Gifts on the Cheap

Yep, holidays are on the brain, and I for one am thinking of inexpensive but meaningful gifts for the people on my list...without giving too much away since I know that some of those lovely people read this blog!



So I thought we could all help each other out! Here's ten relatively inexpensive ideas for you all this year!

1. baked goodies in a nice tin, box, or plate. I love making peppermint bark or some sort of holiday cookie.

2. a "themed" gift. One year I gave a girlfriend who loves to cook a really fun serving dish with a cookbook. I've also heard the suggestion of baking a favorite recipe in a new serving dish and giving it to the person, but I don't love that idea so much. Kind of takes the newness away, ya know?

3. something that represents something you love doing with the person/couple. A and I gave our friends 4 decks of cards, a personalized notepad, and a card tray for their engagement gift. It's because our favorite thing to do as the 4 of us is to play Hand and Foot, and now they have their own set to use when they host! On the same token, I've given gift cards to a pedicure place to a friend with whom I love to go get pedis with.

4. Etsy.com. Need I say more? I sell jewelry there, and I'm always finding cool things for gifts! Most of the people who sell there have more than reasonable prices and it's always great to give something that's not available everywhere you turn around

5. if you're crafty--make something! A lot of my friends get jewelry. They don't seem to mind! I have also received several scarves which I LOVE!

6. a picture of something special you've done with the person in a great frame. Hobby Lobby ALWAYS has their frames 1/2 off, so you can get some really good deals there. And who doesn't love pictures? Just make sure it's flattering of *both* of you!

7. a pampering basket (mostly for the females on your list). Lotions, nail polish in shades she loves, a couple of bath bombs...I shop sales year round and always have a few soaps or fragrances on hand. I also have found a great little local store that handmakes soaps and bath bombs--they're fairly inexpensive and quite unique.

8. ornaments. I love getting new ornaments, and I always enjoy receiving them as gifts. Every year as I put up my tree I think of the people who gave the ornament to me--it's like getting a new gift every year :)

9. books. Most of the kids in my life at some point get my favorite Christmas books at Christmas, and others on their birthdays. Board books (for babies and toddlers) will run about $5 apiece, and prices vary once you get into the older kids/bigger books. But they can be personalized and you're helping build up their little library! (I find great deals at local booksellers when they have clearance sales, or you can always check amazon.com)

10. finally, one FROM the kids. My friends did this a few years ago and I thought it was great! At a local craft store (Hobby Lobby or Michaels in our case), buy a cheap artist's canvas. Buy some (washable) paints, strip the kid down, put him in the bathtub and let him go to town! If you buy one each for the grandparents you've got a priceless piece of unique art that they will treasure forever!

Hope you got an idea or two...now I want yours! Creativity and cheapness are *good* things in my book, especially in my current underemployed state!

Please sign Mr MckLinky and grab my button!





(next week we'll talk about our favorite ornaments--please take pictures for us--and the following week will be Christmas traditions/memories. just trying to give a heads-up!)

Recipe of the Week: Pizza Pot Pies

This recipe is loosely based on the following:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pizza-pot-pies-recipe/index.html

However, I changed it a LOT.

So here's the much easier and most likely just as yummy

Pizza Pot Pies

3/4 jar marinara sauce (I have used Bertolli organic tomato and basil as well as Trader Joe's basil and tomato.  We prefer Bertolli, surprisingly)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped/minced
2 links chicken sausage (I use Trader Joe's Vino & Formaggio...wine and cheese is gooooood)
pepperoni
1 cup (or more if you prefer) freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
pizza dough (bet you can't guess which brand I use...)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil in skillet and heat. Toss onion and garlic in and saute. Add sausage and cook until browned. Add marinara sauce and heat through.

Shred cheese and add to sauce mixture, then add pepperoni. Spoon mixture evenly into 6 10-oz ramekins. Separate dough into 6 equal parts and stretch over ramekins. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until dough on top is browned.

Rating from me? YUMYUMYUM
Rating from A? "this is really similar to my mom's lasagna" (very high praise)

It's a winner! And I feel like with either canned tomatoes (to make homemade sauce) or jarred sauce on hand, you could pretty much throw anything in there with them and make it a pizza pot pie!

Hmmm...

You know, I don't normally get all up in arms about separation of church and state (my views differ from most of my more conservative friends anyway) or forward on things that are religious or political in nature. It's just not my thing. I have strong opinions on the subjects, and I'll be more than happy to share them at any time--as I'm sure most of you know--but I just don't feel the need to blast out these things to everyone on my email list. Ya know?

However, I received an email the other day that made me pause a bit. I haven't been able to put my finger on why the "keep Christ in Christmas" campaign rubs me the wrong way...after all, it IS Christmas. I guess I've just chosen to go with the knowledge that I'll be honoring my traditions and faith in the way I celebrate, and that everyone has that choice. Furthermore, I feel that those who want to honor Christ (as I do) in their celebration of the holiday could do more for that "cause" in simply celebrating His love with their family and friends than organizing a big rally or campaign about keeping Christ in Christmas. Does that make sense at all?

SO...here's the email. I will be the first to state that it's a bit cheesy and that I don't wholeheartedly agree with every point it makes...but it does reflect more the "stance" I'm taking on this than anything else I've read.

Letter from Jesus about Christmas --

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a
time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get ridof a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all
around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up
John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5 Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and
let their employees spend the day at home with their families

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary--especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember :

I LOVE YOU,
JESUS