Love Of Christmas

Christmas Eve Family Dinner

2011-12-25T14:39:00.001-05:00

The Menu:

apricot meatballs
honey baked ham
roast beef
Bruce Lee wingettes
macaroni & cheese
green beans
deviled eggs
shrimp salad
herb & parmesan monkey bread
garden salad

Dessert

red velvet cake
a variety of cookies
a punch bowl of egg nog & vanilla bean icecream

Beverages

a variety of sodas
Moscato wine
Rum egg nog
lemon iced tea
and a special holiday punch (made with Pinnacle Vodka, Triple Sec, cranberry juice, orange juice and a little lemon juice)

And presents under the tree:

(And that's only half the gifts. More arrived after I took this picture)

Christmas Cards

2011-12-25T13:22:00.001-05:00

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards.

It's Christmas Day

2011-12-25T13:16:00.001-05:00

From my home to yours,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Vacation

2011-12-15T18:39:00.001-05:00

Today at exactly 4:30 p.m., I began my Christmas vacation. I am off until the new year. Whoohoo!

I was so excited. The only thing on my mind on the drive home was slipping into my pjs, pouring a glass of wine, turning on some Christmas music and relaxing on the sofa watching the Christmas tree spin around. {Sigh} All I managed to do once home was put on my pjs. The shower made me a bit too relaxed. So much so that I am laying in bed, under the covers, knowing that soon and very soon I will be in dreamland.

Guess my origianal plans are on hold for another evening. Maybe tomorrow.

Exhausted

2011-12-12T21:28:00.002-05:00

Sunday I spent the entire day baking cookies. This morning when I got out of bed, I could barely stand up. My body was so sore and my feet hurted terribly.

I made 9 different kinds of cookies:

oatmeal raisin
chocolate chip
butter pecans
almond/cinnamon
gingerbread
cream cheese
peanut butter
egg nog
oreal balls

I started around 8:00 in the morning. When I finally laid down, it was midnight.

I'm glad I only do this kind of baking once a year.

I probably could have finished earlier, but my Baltimore Ravens were playing the Indiannapolis Colts (by the way, they kicked the Colts butt), but I kept taking breaks to keep up with the game.

Anyway, since I've come home from work today, I have just been relaxing with my feet up.

Hope I feel better in the morning.

So Many Hats

2011-12-06T19:45:00.001-05:00

I started collecting Christmas hats about 5 years ago. I wear a different one every day in December. I'm up to about 19 hats now.

This is the latest hat. One of my co-workers surprised me with it a few days ago. Can't wait to wear it for "Purple Friday", representing our Baltimore Raven's football team. Now if I can find some Raven's socks.......

All A Glow

2011-12-04T17:14:00.001-05:00

As I sit here at the lap top, I hear the timers go off in each room throughout my little palace. It's the Christmas lights coming on....

A Visit to 34th Street

2011-12-04T09:14:00.001-05:00

Last night some friends and I decided to go into the city and see the lights on Baltimore's 34th Street.

Decorting

2011-11-27T12:44:00.001-05:00

I have been decorating my little palace for the holidays since Thursday. Everything is looking so festive. Can't wait to officially turn on the lights (Dec. 1st).

Making Plans

2011-11-20T10:53:00.002-05:00

Good Morning all. That was a long sleep I took, huh. LOL.

I've been spending a lot of time with family and friends. I love being with them.

Yesterday I started taking down my fall decorations. Since I will be spending Thanksgiving elsewhere, there was no need to keep them up. This worked out perfectly as I am able to get a head start rearranging furniture and making space for the Christmas Decorations.

This week is a three day work week for me. Yipee. I'm so excited the holidays are here. I just love this time.

My plans for the week are to finish clearing space for decorating. Hang up lights outside while the weather is fairly nice. Pull out the many totes of decorations. Get Christmas cards signed and address so they are ready to go out in the mail December 1st. For the third year I am participating in the Christmas card exchange over at Magical Holiday Home. Cards will be going to England, Australia, Switzerland (to name a few), as well as across the United States. I want to make sure that my friends across the waters get my card in time for Christmas.

I think this year I am going to put up my Christmas tree when I get home from visiting family Thanksgiving. My best friend since high school told me yesterday that she and her daughters put up theirs yesterday. Black Friday I will be hitting the stores. I'm in desperate need of a new vacuum cleaner. Also I need to pick up all my baking ingredients. Then return home and continue decorating.

Also, I have some new ideas I want to try. One idea I got from Dollar Tree (which as you all know by now is my favorite place to shop) is making hurricane holders using a tall glass vase, a glass tapered candleholder and an 8" white pillar candle. I can't wait to show you. I think I may make a set for one if my besties who loves Christmas as much as I do.

Well gotta go, I'm meeting friends in a few to watch our Ravens play the Bengals. Gooooo Ravens!!!

Look Who's Back!

2011-09-21T23:01:00.000-04:00

Yes - yes, it's me. Haven't been here since earlier this year. Well I'm back and ready not only for the changing of the season, but the upcoming holidays. But it's nearly 11:00 and way past my bedtime. I'll come back tomorrow to share what my plans and goals will be as I plan for what I hope to be another joyful Christmas with my family and friends.

Good Night!

Progress on Christmas Notebook

2011-02-10T19:23:00.000-05:00

Man o man, I've been having the time getting my pictures to download to my blog. I recently updated my internet explorer (to IE 9 Beta) and things were going a litle kooky and looking funny. Finally, things are working again.

During the month of January (into February), I spent a lot of time working on my Christmas notebook. I printed out all new pages from Organized Christmas. Started making lists - gifts ideas, food, shopping lists, etc. Even changed the look of my book. I had some red felt fabric left over from the advent I made for a niece and used it to cover my notebook. It's not quite finished though as I am stuck on how to dress it up. Someone suggested adding snowflakes. Good idea. I hope to have it completed before February Rudy Day.

To personalize my notebook even more I used a free program (HP Photo Creations) to make divider pages, using a combination of personal photos and clipart. I really love using this program and have been playing around with it for days. Here's what my divider pages look like:

Calendar: Here I keep important event dates (birthdays, anniversaries, wrapping parties etc.), Rudy Day activities, the Christmas Countdown and my 25 Days to Christmas activities sheet.

Holiday Grand Plan: A countdown to getting the home ready for the holidays - cleaning room by room

Crafts: list of to-do craft projects and craft ideas/instructions

Budget: An outline of my spending expenses for gifts, decorations, party supplies and an envelope for keeping all receipts in one place.

Decorations: Inventory sheets, Room by Room decorating plans, decorating ideas

Gifts: Master gift list, stocking stuffer ideas, "My" wish list, Gift closet inventory sheet, Online/catalog orders and Master shopping list

Recipes: Appetizers, Entrees, Side Dishes, Desserts, Beverages - Keep copies of all your old (and new) favorite recipes here. Better than searching through all those cookbooks.

Party Planning: Guest Lists, Menus, Party ideas, and grocery lists are kept in this section.

Addresses: Your loved ones' inforamation are at the ready in this section when it's time to mail out those Christmas cards and party invitations. Personalized address labels and postage stamps are kept in this section too.

Summary: Giving thought of the holidays, before and after, using the Family Values and Holiday Debriefing worksheets.

Movies/Music: Have a collection of favorite movie classics or starting a collection? Keep track of them with a handy list.

Miscellaenous: keep extra forms at the ready, or for jotting down notes/random thoughts

That's about it. Hope you like what you've seen.

February Goals

2011-02-01T09:34:00.000-05:00

Declutter: This month's focus are the kitchen and my desk area. Gingerbug (creator of MHH) suggests we set the number of hours we will committ to decluttering this month. I am dedicating 2 hours a week. At the end of the month that will amount to 8 hours. Not too shabby. Yesterday (Monday) I threw out a bag of shredded paper that contained old paystubs and other things I no longer needed. Now my file cabinet is nice and neat.

Purchase two Christmas movies. I didn't get a chance to buy one last month.

Celebrate Me: This month is about our beautiful faces. I have never had a full fledge facial done before so this will be a really special treate for me.

Locate Autumn/Halloween notebook. Actually I have a small folder I use during the autumn season. I don't do too much for Halloween or Thanksgiving. I have family and friends who go all out for those holidays. I just love the season itself - the leaves turning to those vibrant colors, the smell of a fireplace being lit for the first time of the season, things like that. To celebrate the season I invite a few friends over for a fun evening of food, drinks, games, etc.

Do you have things around your home you would like to get rid of? Then why not follow my friends as they participate in Move it Out Monday.

January Goals

2011-01-17T12:24:00.003-05:00

(An idea shared from member Chilli at MHH) Take a calendar for 2011 and enter as follows:

Birthdays
Vacations
Already known family events
All other important activities for you, family, friends, etc.

Work on Christmas notebook

Make a new cover for my binder
Print planner sheets from Organized Christmas
Create and print pretty tab sheets

First part of "celebrate me", make the promise to spend some time on my word for 2011. Second part is to do something special just for me. I chose the 26th - which is my birth date - of each month to being nice to "me". Things like treat myself to a pedicure, get my hair cut or colored, buy a new outfit, or just spend the day lounging around. I would really like to go for a nice bike ride. I have not been on a bike since I was a teenager.

Pledge to declutter closets. I'm working on getting rid of the ugly shoe boxes that clutter the floors of my bedroom closets. While I'm at it, find a better way to organize my handbags on the shelves.

Purchase a holiday movie. I really want to increase my collection as I don't have many of the favorites.

Answer debriefing questions about the holidays.

Happy New Year

2011-01-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

It's a new year and with it, new possibilties.

I have been feeling really confident that I am going to have a good year. Over at Magical Holiday Home, members are encouraged to spend time on their word for the year. My word for 2011 is CHANGE.

There's a lot of things I need to work on. The major thing is my health. See I have high blood pressure and most recently my doctor told me that my cholesterol was a little high. So my doctor changed me from the two medications I was taking for high blood pressure and put me on one type of medication that controls both the HBP and Cholosteral, as well as taking a low dose aspirin and iron pill daily. I don't want to have to take pills for the rest of my life, hence working on change.

Back in September of 2009, I started making and following a monthly menu plan. I did well following the menu for a while. That is until the holidays rolled around. I tried picking back up where I left off in 2010, but then summer came and I'd slacked off again. In the fall of 2010 I attempted to start over and did very well even when the holidays rolled around again. It wasn't perfect but I managed much better than the previous year.

I have cut out buying process foods. You know that stuff you can grab from the freezer (which has a high sodium content), heat in the microwave and you're done. No more of that. I go grocery shopping every week or every other week. I try to buy only fresh items. An idea I got from a cousin. My food tastes much better and I am trying new dishes I would never have thought of making before and I don't have a lot of headaches like before. The big plus is that I am beginning to lose weight. It's not a lot but it is a start.

Yes this year is all about change. Change for a better life, better health. Change to be a better me.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

It's two days post Christmas. I hope that everyone had a nice holiday. My holiday was fantastic, though there was almost a chance that it wouldn't happen.

Woke up last Tuesday with a terrible sore throat. I could not believe I was having the same issues I had during the Thanksgiving holiday. Still I continued to get things ready for Christmas Eve. Wednesday I had to go out and get the remaining groceries for dinner. I was slowly falling apart and by Wednesday night, I was feeling so bad, all I could do was lay in bed, rest and get myself together. I dranked a hot cup of Thera-flu which soothed my throat and relaxed me. I didn't even feel myself doze off to sleep.

Thursday morning when I woke up I felt a little better. I was supposed to be preparing dishes that could be made ahead of time but I ended up going out with one of my best friends to finish gift shopping. I didn't get to do it Wednesday because I felt so bad and didn't feel like going anywhere else after marketing.

Oooooh, I've got to tell you what I found when I walked into a Dollar Tree. I found Santa hats that fit over the top of your chairs.

I was just browsing through the store while my friend was grabing some things she needed, and there was one hanging on the rack. I asked a worker if this was all they had left and she said yes. I was so devasted, but I didn't give up. I searched high and low through the shelves hoping to find three more. Just when I was about to give up, I found them, hiding under a bunch of tissue paper. I had to laugh at myself for the way I was acting. When I got up to the register the cashier said she was surprised there were any left. She said they knew these would go fast so they just dumped them all in a shopping cart and left it at the front of the store instead of putting them on the shelves. When my friend saw them she wanted two so I went back and found two more.  These will be used next year.

We got home from shopping just before the evening rush hour started. When I got in I decided to take it easy. A hot bath, warm pajamas and a cup of Thera-flu and I just layed in bed and rested. The food prepping would have to wait until Friday.

Friday morning, I was up early with no problem. I got in the kitchen and got busy.  Just took my time and did not stress out about all the food I had to prepare. Know what? It worked. Got everything done and still had time to relax before the guests arrived. This was the menu.

Appetizers:
cheese/ham spirals
crab-red pepper dip
caribbean style wingettes

Entree:
Pork ribs
Bourbon glazed chicken
Steak with carmelized onions

Sides:
roasted potatoes
macaroni & cheese
green beans
fresh garden salad
fresh baked dinner rolls

shrimp salad
deviled eggs

Dessert:
variety of homemade cookies
large punch bowl of eggnog with vanilla bean icecream

The ribs were a last minute thought. Just had a taste for some. The only thing I didn't get around to making were the cupcakes but it was okay. Noone cared. I tend to go overboard with the menu. I just like to make sure that I have something that everyone would like.

The evening went off without a hitch. I even got a nice surprise. Some relatives came in from New York whom I hadn't seen in three or four years.

After dinner we opened presents. Everyone was very pleased with the gifts I got for them. Especially the one who received the Washington Redskins car mats. He completely lossed it. After I watched everyone open their gifts I opened mine. I got a cute bath set (rug, shower curtain, hooks, towel set), a soft hooded robe with some soft slippers, 3 piece glass candle holders, another candle holder set that has some beautiful writing on them (will go nice with the new bath set), a bottle of Moscoto (my favorite wine), perfume, a 15 inch tall nutcracker (from my neighbor), a gift card for Lane Bryant, a lovely spa set, a digital photo frame (I've always wanted one) and the nicest gift of all - a new laptop computer.

Back in the summer my mom decided to buy herself a new laptop and she would give me her old one. Well for months I had been waiting for her to give it to me but she kept saying that she was transferring information from the old laptop to the new laptop. So on Christmas while we were opening gifts she surprised me with a brand new laptop. When I tore off the wrapping paper I thought it was some glassware. It wasn't until I turned the box around to open it that I realized it was a laptop. I was so happy - like a kid. I couldn't open the box fast enough. Now I can sit in bed or on the sofa and use the computer instead of being stuck at my desk.  Ooooh, it's a nice one too. It has a built-in web cam (Now I can chat with my newphew whose in college on Skype) and something called light-scribe. Light-scribe adds designs to your cd/dvd. No more do I have to buy the paper and waste the ink from my printer to make labels.  I'm still learning all the programs installed. Yep, she got me good.

Christmas day for me was a day of rest. I layed in bed most of the day and watched holiday movies. My poor feet were hurting so bad. I could barely stand when I got up to get something to drink.  Usually I am in a coma after partying with the family the night before, but I think because I made sure to get proper rest all week, I was feeling okay.

Well, let me stop boring you guys. It's almost 8 in the evening and my Monday night line-up of shows are about to begin. More tomorrow. Good night!

It's December 20th

2010-12-20T10:28:00.001-05:00

Can you believe that in 5 days it will be Christmas. I am starting to feel the excitement once again. There have been a few moments when I felt let-down or lost. Especially with the death of my uncle.

Now I'm so gitty, I can barely contain myself. I have made a to-do list of things to complete by Friday.

Today I cleared the holiday dishes off the dining table and changed the table cloth from white to red and green checked pattern. The only thing on the table is my candle centerpiece. The dining table is where the food will be beautifully displayed on Christmas Eve. That's one less thing I will have to worry about.

Also today I will clean off the balcony. The heavy winds blew what looks like millions of pineneedles all over my deck. Plus a bird took the liberty of doing his business on one of the seat cushions. Yuck!

Tuesday will be laundry day. I have a few bags I need to get done plus some comforters. Also I need to make room in the coat closet for guests.

Wednesday is grocery day. I need to purchase the remaining items for Friday's dinner party. While I'm out I have a couple of gifts to pick up (I completely missed) as well as a few gift cards. Then that will definately be it as far as gifts go. Whew!!!

Thursday is get cooking day. From sunrise to sunset, that is all I will be doing. Anything that can be prepared ahead of time will be done on this day.

Friday is party time. I have my outfit all planned out: red & white stripe knee-hi socks with the fur around the edge, red sweater, black skirt and tights, and a red fedora hat.

I found these socks in my all-time favorite store, Dollar Tree. I was walking up to the cash register to pay for my items and BAM!, there they were. I just couldn't resist picking them up. I'm so silly. LOL Wait til the family sees me Christmas Eve.

Also Friday I need to cook the remaining dishes: the bird, the rolls, the mac & cheese. If I can keep on this schedule (which I'm sure I will), I will have a chance to rest up before guests start to arrive. It's going to be a good time had by all.

A Funny Story

2010-12-19T15:46:00.000-05:00

My best friend called me the other day and told me the funniest story. She and her husband have been coming to my house on Christmas Eve since the tradition started years ago. Well my best friend, her husband, her mom and several other people were sitting in the house just talking and my name came up. The husband started going on and on about coming to my house. How he couldn't wait and how he really enjoys and looks forward to the food, exchanging gifts, talking and laughing. Someone then called the house and my friend said she heard her husband telling the caller that he wouldn't be able to make it to wherever he was invited to because he was coming to my house. My friend said that after he hung up with the caller he was still talking as if the caller was on the phone saying, "You got the game wrong. I'm going to Ms. Claus (that's what they call me) house." She said he had a straight attitude and was just a fussing.

Things settled down and my friend said probably 20 - 25 minutes later her husband had started up again. She said all anyone in the room could do was laugh because they couldn't believe how he literally got upset. My best friend said she laughed so hard that she was intears. My friend's mother told her, "Leave him be." I was so tickled and happy that he enjoys coming my house for the holidays.

I know when I see him Christmas Eve he's going to make sure I hear about it.

Snow at Christmas

2010-12-16T12:21:00.000-05:00

Essential? A nice touch? or A pipe dream?

Funny I should post this today. I just looked out the window and it is snowing. We're not expected to get much, (only a couple of inches) but it is a nice touch.

I love having snow at Christmas. Not too much where it's difficult for folks to get around. Just enough to make everything look pretty. Last year my wish finally came true. We got a lot of snow early in December and it stayed well into the holidays. It didn't melt before Christmas as it normally does. Usually we don't see much snow until January or February - sometimes March.

If we could get a nice dusting like today for Christmas, I would be a very happy camper.

Life

2010-12-16T12:01:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, December 9, 2010 my family suffered a loss. My aunt loss her husband to cancer. They were such a close couple. My aunt and uncle had such a great relationship. They were like bossum buddies. Wherever you saw on, you saw the other. I hope the man I marry and I will have a relationship like that. I only know of one other couple who has a relationship like that, my bestfriend's since childhood parents.

It has hit me in a way I didn't think it would. I guess it was when I last saw him two weeks ago, lying in bed. He looked so frail. I had just been there two weeks prior and he had came downstaris to the kitchen where my aunt, my mom and I were, frying chicken and just chit-chatting. He looked good. But seeing him in bed,thoughts of my dad immediately came to mind (I loss my dad to cancer in 1995). The scenerios were almost exact.

My aunt for the most part is holding up quite well. It also helps that she has her sons and other family members and friends by her side for support.

Rest in Peace Uncle Jones. You will truly be missed.

Holiday Dinnerware

2010-12-07T22:40:00.000-05:00

One of the things I look forward to during the Christmas season is pulling out my dishes.

I bought my dishes from Dollar Tree about 7 or 8 years ago. They are white with a holly design and gold ban around the edge.

I had seen similar dish sets in department stores but did not want to pay those prices. Plus I did not want or need the saucers and cups. They wouldn't get used. Then one year I was in, of all places, Dollar Tree, and there these were. I tell you I just can't stay out of that store. And if you go there on the right day you can hit the jackpot, big
time.

I originally bought 8, plus the matching spoon rest, napkin holder and salt & pepper shakers. I wanted to get more but I really did not have the money. I thought I would never find those dishes in Dollar Tree again. Boy was I surprised when the following year I walks in to Dollar Tree and again, there they were. My money was a little better this time so I grabbed more. I was so happy and I needed the dishes because my yearly Christmas Eve family dinner was growing in numbers. They come out on the table as well as my pretty gold flatware. I treated myself to the flatware about 6 years ago.

You may notice on the photo above I have different dinnerware on the table. My table is set in all red. I have red charger plates, glass dinner plates and glass dessert plates.

Guess where I found the dinner plates. If you guessed Dollar Tree, you are correct. That's why I love that store. (heeheehee) The dessert plates I found on clearance in Target for 75 cents each. I don't know if you can see but they both have a pretty pattern on the underside.

Also on the table I have red wine glasses and holly drinking glasses. More Dollar Tree finds.

I use to switch up the glasses each year but I really wanted to see them both on the table so that's what I've done.

When company stops buy and we sit down to eat they always look for the paper plates. I tell them, "We are using these plates." I wash them and put them on the table. That's the purpose of having them. Huh, these dishes are not just for show. They are for eating off of. I don't care if we are having pizza and salad. We're going to sit at the table and have an enjoyable meal together. That's my main purpose, being together - talking, laughing, having a good time.

Are You an Easy or Difficult Person To Buy Gifts For

2010-12-06T23:03:00.000-05:00

I think I am the easiest person in the whole world to please. I don't care what I get, I appreciate everything that I receive because for me, it's the thought that counts.

Over the years my family and friends have come to know several sure things about me. One is I love to decorate. Two, I love to entertain and three, I am a big Dollar Tree and Walmart shopper. I'm in those stores so much, they say I should have stock in the companies. I do have a few other favorites, but they are definately #1 and #2 on the list.

As a result of my hobbies/interest, I receive gifts that are very useful to me. Serving pieces which I use quite often, home accessories, appliances, things of that nature. I have collected so much from my love ones that now I have no more storage for anything. So a few years ago I asked that if they choose to get me a gift that it be a gift card to my favorite stores. I can always use them when I need to stock up on supplies for the house or something.

Although with my microwave going up on me this year. I wouldn't mind if someone got me a replacement. [ wink ;-) ]

The Decorations are up.

2010-12-05T17:43:00.000-05:00

Yes. I feel much, much better and now all of my decorating is done.

What is Cloud Picker

2010-12-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to upload my holiday pictures but I keep getting this message that I need to sign in to Google Cloud Picker. Does anyone knows what this is and why it's not working. I hate change without forwarning. (Mad As Heck!!!!!!)

Black Friday

2010-11-30T22:09:00.000-05:00

Love it or hate it?

Black Friday? The day after Thanksgiving (in the USA) where you can find fantastic bargins? What's not to love?

I have gone out on Black Friday for years. Thursday mornings I go buy a newspaper. which is packed with sales papers from all the stores advertising special deals on everything - from toys and electronics, to clothes and jewlery, to tires and home appliances.

When I go out for Black Friday shopping, I am shopping only for myself. I am usually done shopping for everyone else by then. Call it Christmas gift-buying for "me." Last year I bought a vacuum cleaner (the old one finally died), a portable dvd player, 19" flatscreen tv (for the guest room/office), blu-ray disc player, a small electric food chopper to replace the one I broke last year and a couple of dvds. Total cost, $325.00 plus change. Not bad eh?

Usually my experiences shopping on Black Friday are always good. This year was a dissappointing one. I wanted a new flatscreen tv for the livingroom but when I got to the store at 4:00 a.m. there was already a line for the tv and all of the tickets were given out meaning they were sold out. Wal-mart had a 32" on sale for $198.00. I was so heart-broken. That was all I wanted this year (other than a new Gucci handbag). So I was back home and back in bed before 5:00. Usually after leaving Walmart my mom and I would go have breakfast at IHOP, then hit a few other stores before heading home. I just wasn't in the mood for it this time.

Wal-mart is the first store I always hit first on Black Friday. Don't know why but it is. We have a lot of Walmarts but there are only three I frequently go to and one is a super Wal-mart. I especially love the super Wal-mart because it is open 24 hours.

Last year the store was well orchestrated. They taped off certain isles and formed lines throughout the entire store for the different major products. For instance, the line for the blu-ray players was set up in the hardware section and the line for laptops was in the pharmacy section. I thought this was a great idea, keeping the electronic section a little less hectic and overcrowding with people. For items that they had a few in quantity they handed out numbered tickets to customers, so it was first come, first serve.

To keep the flow of traffic moving throughout the store, they set up cones and taped down the center of walkways to keep customers flowing in one direction. The sales people had maps on hand to help direct customers looking for particular items. Plus they either had walkie talkies or headsets so that they could to talk to other staff.

Though I was dissappointed that I didn't get what I wanted the experience was still pleasant. Dispite the crowds, it was very calm throughout the store. It was almost like a normal trip to the store. Plus the fact that county police were everywhere.

Maybe next year I'll shop online. It depends if it's a big ticket item I'm trying to get. Then again I'm sure I'll be back out there next year.

I'm Back

2010-11-29T19:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been away so long. I am recovering from a Broncitis (sp?). My mini vacation started last Wednesday, however the night before my vacation starts I come down with something. I wasn't sure what was going on because I didn't feel sick really. I just couldn't talk. As the week progressed I started having trouble breathing, no voice and some other gross stuff I won't bother you with.
So I'm on antibiotics and drinking lots of tea. I can go back to work Wednesday. My voice still hasn't come back yet but I feel 90% better.

Despite being home, sick, I still managed to put up Christmas decorations. I'm usually done decorating the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, but with this cold I took a lot of breaks inbetween. I still have to finish the kitchen, guest room and balcony. I hope to be done by tomorrow evening.

Gift Giving

2010-11-14T16:20:00.000-05:00

Are you a practical or creative gift giver?

I'm mostly practical but sometimes I can get a little creative. I like to give out the basics like clothing, gift certificates/cards, and toys for the kids. But I also make various baskets and baked goods for gifts as well.

For instance I like to make bedtime baskets for the smaller kiddies. In the basket I put a pair of pajamas, a children's dvd, bedtime bubble bath and lotion, a couple of toys & a few pieces of candy and other things like toothbrushes, puppet washcloths, bedroom slippers - that sort of thing. I even put in some snowman soup for the little older kids who can handle drinking it. Other baskets I've done were filled with lots of crafts, various games and treats - like making candies/chocolates.

I remember the first year I started doing baskets I gave a family member- who had just moved into their new place - a kitchen basket with pots, kitchen towels, pot holders, etc. She was very excited when she opened to see what all was inside. I used a large pot as the basket to hold everything.

I've also done popcorn baskets, pampering baskets, sports baskets and pizza making baskets, to name a few.

I start my gift list immediately after the holidays because I already have some ideas of what to get a person next Christmas. Everytime I get a gift idea, I right it down in my trusty notebook which I carry in my purse 365 days of the year. Then transfer my notes to my holiday planner when I get home.

I like to think that I do very well when selecting gifts for people. Many of the ideas come from knowing the person's interest and what they like. For instance I have a few family members and friends (who are just like family) that are real sports fanatics. One person in particular eats and breaths Washington Redskins. I look for gifts that I know they don't have that is Redskins related. This year I got them a set of car mats with the Redskins logo on them. They are truly going to lose their mind when they open this gift. This may even top the scarf.

Sometimes people will tell me what they want. At a memorial Day cookout I attended this year one of my closets friends told me she would like more make-up as the ones I bought her a couple of years ago are almost gone. This is what I found for her.

This set is really nice. I wouldn't mind receiving this myself. But I already have way too much make-up as it is and don't need any more.

Other ways I come up with gift ideas are by being observant and picking up on certain things through everyday conversations with people. Like one day back in the spring my cousin, her 9 year old daughter and I were out shopping. I don't remember what store we were in but the daughter noticed a Hello kitty clock. She really liked it but knew her mom wasn't going to buy it. Her mother began telling me how the daughter loves and wants a Hello Kitty room. Unbeknowns to them, I made a note in my little notebook that her favorite character was Hello Kitty and maybe I would get her the clock or something else.

And remember the person who loves Redskins? A couple of years ago I had an oversized scarf made for them. They were watching a game on tv and saw a woman in the stands wearing a really nice Redskins scarf and they just could not stop talking about it. Every so often they would bring it up so I thought it would be really nice if I could get one for them. After doing a lot of searching on the internet, I found out someone on my job is a very great knitter and I had her make me one. Plus the price couldn't be beat.

Sometimes if I'm not sure what to get the kids in my family, I ask their parents. I always have my nieces and nephews write me a list. Since I myself don't have kids, I never really know what kids are in to and I know their fascination about things change over the year. What was popular in February is no longer popular in September.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Under the Mistletoe

2010-11-10T17:54:00.000-05:00

I'm glad someone has been kissed under the mistletoe. I have never been kissed under one rather it be real or fake. LOL

I have never hung the stuff in my home. Never thought about it. Come to think of it I don't think anyone in my family has ever used mistletoe. I'm thinking maybe I might give it a try this year. Maybe I'll get kissed and then I can join all the others and say, "Yes, I've been kissed under the mistletoe."

Holiday Decorating Style

2010-11-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

Is it traditional, country, whimsical, north-woodsy, or child-like:?

I guess my style would be traditional with a little whimsy.

I have always decorated with the classic Christmas colors of green, red and gold. I guess it's because I have these colors throughout my home all year long (or variations of these colors). I love using using lots of ornaments on the trees. And you can find almost anywhere around my home Santas and snowmen, nutcrackers, villages pieces, nativity scenes and lots and lots of candles. Oh let's not forget comfy throws and plush pillows for relaxing and keeping warm.

Every room in my home gets decorated for Christmas, including the bathroom, and every room has a Christmas tree. An old childhood friend visited me last year during Christmas for the first time and remarked, "It looks like you threw-up Christmas in here," I guess she's right.

Yes I love Christmas. I start decorating the day after Thanksgiving. I crank up the Christmas music and decorate til my hearts content. I spend the entire weekend turning my little palace into a cozy holiday home. Some of the rooms even have a theme.

The kitchen is a gingerbread theme. The bathroom is poinsettia, the diningroom is Santa Claus, the guest room is toyland. The living doesn't have a theme. Neither does my bedroom. Despite the different looks, every room coordinates with each other.

Entertaining At Christmas

2010-11-02T13:11:00.000-04:00

I love entertaining at Christmas. Every Christmas Eve, I invite my entire family and family friends over for an evening of good food and good times. It's also the only time when everyone gets to see each other as everyday life tends to keep some away throughout the rest of the year.

I started this tradition about 8 years ago. It was something that my grandmother used to do but as she got older the tradition sort of fell by the waist side. So I thought I would bring it back. What started out as a small group of 16 people sitting down at dinner has now grown to 40 plus buffet dinner.

Christmas Eve is the perfect time for me to have family dinner because Christmas day is busy for folks. Some family members may have plans to spend Christmas with their spouse's family or those with little ones would rather stay at home so that the kids could enjoy playing with their presents. I remember being a little girl and my parents dragging me and my brother out the house to go visit my grandfather's sister for Christmas dinner. It always made my brother and I so mad because we would rather stay home and play with our toys. Selfish I know, but we were kids and that's how some kids are. Plus it was so boring. Dear great auntie did give us some cool gifts though.

I spend months getting ready for this day - all thanks to Organized Christmas and Magical Holiday Home. I design a budget, plan a menu, make guest list, send out invitations... I go all out. Guests usually start arriving about 6 in the evening. We say the blessing before dinner. After dinner we mingle a bit - the kids hang out in the guest room where I have games out for them and the tv set up for watching movies. Later we open gifts. After the gifts we mingle some more and eat more. Like I've said before, some of the family don't get to see each other much throughout the year so on this night there's a lot of catching up going on. There's also lots of memories being captured by yours truly. The house is usually empty by midnight. My guests are full and happy and I am giddy like a little kid. So happy that once again, the holidays with family was a success.

My family has come to expect being at my house Christmas Eve. When asked, I tell them that as long as I'm physically able to and have the passion, it will continue. I doubt that the passion will ever go away. As far as being physically able, that remains to be seen.

Today Is Election Day!

2010-11-02T12:10:00.000-04:00

In the USA, people all over the country are voting. Here in Maryland they held early voting last last Monday - Thursday but I was unable to get to the voting office. I made sure I got there today. Lucky for me, I have the day off so I was able to hit the polls early this morning.

If you haven't done so already, GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!

Spending Christmas in Another Country

2010-10-31T23:05:00.000-04:00

If I could spend Christmas in another country I would choose to spend it in either Switzerland or Germany.

I watch a lot of public television and one of my favorite programs is Rick Steve's - Travels in Europe. One year I saw a Christmas special he did showing several countries and the traditions they share during the holiday season. The towns he visited in these countries are not places a lot of tourists would ever think to go to. The people were sweet and charming. And although each country he visited was beautiful, magical places, Germany and Switzerland really stuck out from the others with me.

I like Switzerland, one because you're guaranteed a white Christmas. (at least it seems there's always snow there in winter). Plus there's so much you can do. I would love to go sleigh riding and walking through the villages/towns looking in the shops. The scenery was so old world - quaint and cozy. One tradition I saw was in the evening they were sking down a snow-covered hill holding torches. It looked lot a lot of fun. Then afterwards, they were all gathered in a cute little cabin enjoying a lovely meal by candlelight. A perfect way to end a day of being with family and friends.

The town Rick visited in Germany was hopping with lots of Christmas cheer. The marketplace was alive with music, lots of food, cute little stands to shop for gifts and decorations everywhere. Germany has such a rich, strong tradition. It'as all about family and friends. I so would love to visit one Christmas. Who knows. Maybe one day I'll get the chance. Maybe.

Christmas Journaling - Fruitcake

2010-10-28T19:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, please or not with a 10 foot pole!

I for one do not like fruitcake. Actually I've never tried it. I'm not a fan of desserts with fruits baked in to them or filled with fruits (with the exception of apple pies or apple danish). I can remember as a little girl, my grandmother always had fruitcake in her house. I don't know if she made it herself or if she bought it from the store. It just looks gross to me. (Sorry to those who like fruitcake).

Christmas Journaling - Favorite Holiday Dishes

2010-10-26T22:42:00.000-04:00

Special dishes made only at Christmas

My menu changes every year so I don't have too many dishes that are only made at Christmas. Last year's main course was saucey beef ribs and ham. The year before that was turkey lasagna and pork shoulder. I always make several kinds of meats and sides (way too much). But I rather have too much than not enough.

This year's menu will be a little more traditional- Bourbon-glazed chicken, steak with carmelized onions, roasted potatoes, crab stuffing, maccaroni & cheese, collard greens, rolls, garden salad, deviled eggs, several dips, and a host of desserts and beverages.

A must have at Christmas for my family is hot dinner rolls. They love them and Christmas is the only time (well sometimes for Thanksgiving too) I make them. Are they homemade you ask? Indeed not! Haven't attempted making breads from scratch yet. I've always known how to cook, thanks to my grandma. But I've only been making homemade desserts for a few years -when I joined Organized Christmas. Anyway, back to the rolls.

I buy the rolls from the local supermarket in the freezer section. My favorite dough to use is Parker House. They are easy to handle. Just place the rolls on a lightly greased cookie sheet, cover the dough with a little oil as well (I use a cooking spray), cover the rolls with a clean dishtowel and let the rolls rise for about two hours. I like to let them rise for about 3 hours so they get really big. If you prefer, you can use a muffin pan instead of the cookie sheet. Make sure you put them in a place where there is no cool air blowing. I like to sit them on the stovetop because the oven is nice and warm from being used all day. Then just stick them in the oven. When the rolls are done I use this basket (I have 3), lined with a clean dish towel and cover with another towel to keep the rolls warm.

I do not know why my family thinks they way I make these rolls are so special. I tell them all the time they can do them too, but they always say that when they try it doesn't come out the same. I guess I just have that magic touch (wink).

Another dish that's done only for Christmas is seafood salad. I use lump crab, jumbo shrimp and lobster.

2 lb lump crab meat

2 lb shrimp

1 lb lobster meat

celery, chopped

green onions, chopped

mayonnaise

a little mustard

Old Bay seasoning

black pepper

After cleaning the shrimp I put them in the top part of a double boiler/steamer and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. In the bottom pot I mix water and vinegar together. I let the shrimp steam until they turn pink. While the shrimp is steaming I clean the crabmeat, picking out shells. Once the shrimp are ready I let them cool a few minutes, then dump them in to a bowl along with the crab and lobster. Next (a little a time) I add the celery, green onions, black pepper, mayonnaise and mustard and mix well. It's pretty much freestyle how I add my ingredients so I'm sure what it would be in measurements. If necessary I may add a little more Old Bay. Then chill in the fridge. I make this the night before the big dinner. Tastes much better.

There's never any left at the end of dinner so before guests arrive I scoop a little on to a small plate and place it in the fridge for later. After all the prepping and cooking I don't have much of an appetite. My family usually have to force me to eat a little something, especially if I'm going to have a glass of wine or two.

Photo Cards

2010-10-25T19:05:00.000-04:00

So this year I'm sending out holiday photo cards to my family and closest friends. Here are the cards I'll be using. I bought them last year at Dollar Tree but never got to use them.

Now I just need to print out my photos, insert them into the cards and they will be ready for mailing.

Christmas Journaling - Holiday Scents

2010-10-23T14:39:00.000-04:00

What smells remind you of Christmas or mean Christmas to you?

Mmmm... The smell of a fresh Christmas tree, wreath or garland. Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves... Candles and fruit. There's so many scents that reminds me of the holidays. But my absolute favorite smell of all has to be pine.

I absolutely, positively, love the smell of pine. We have a lot of pine trees where I live and some days, when the wind blows, the smell of the pine fills the air. Especially in the spring after a rain shower. In the fall I like to go out and pick up the pinecones that fall to the ground and bring them in the house. I put them in baskets and even decorate with them.

I remember as a little girl - me, my brother and my parents going out a week before Christmas to buy a fresh Christmas tree. The whole apartment would smell like pine. My brother and I would get so excited decorating. My parents always let my brother and I to decorate the tree. It was a lot of fun. Years later, when we moved into our house, my parents started using an artificial tree and the pine scent was no more.

I too put up an artificial tree every year. So to obtain that evergreen, pine scent throughout my little palace, I use candles, room air fresheners (like plug-ins) and clippings of fresh pine. Home supply stores like Home Depot and Lowes take the cuttings from their trees and put them in a large box marked free. I use them everywhere - on the mantle, in my artificial tree, around a grouping of candles.

In addition to the pine I like to incorporate other scents in to my home. One thing I do is take cinnamon, nutmeg, giner, clove spices and orange slices. Add them to a pot of water and let the pot simmer on the stove under a low flame (Never leave stove unattended). Oh what a heavenly scent. I got that idea from the ladies at the old Organized Christmas forum.

Baking cookies, pies and cakes also are smells that put me in the holiday mood. Which reminds me, I need to double check my shopping list of ingredients. I am going to be doing a lot of baking.

Christmas Journaling - Salvation Army Bell Ringers

2010-10-23T13:11:00.000-04:00

Admirable or Irritating?

For me, seeing the Salvation Army bell ringers is a sure sign (along with Eggnog and Christmas store displays) that the holiday season is in full effect. I always look forward to seeing the bell ringer standing outside my local grocery store. Unfortunately they haven't been there in the last couple of years. With the economy being the way it's been lately, not many people (including myself) are able to make generous donations, therefore not many volunteers are need. Wherever I go, if there's a worker outside with their bell and bucket, I try to drop in a couple of dollars. I feel bad when I pass one and don't have any money to make a contribution. I especially love seeing little kids asking for change from their parents/grandparents so that they can put money in to the bucket. They just look so darn adorable.

Christmas Journaling - Gift Bags

2010-10-17T20:04:00.000-04:00

Reuse? or Never use?

I love using gift bags. They come in handy for that last minute gift you fogot to wrap, and it's Christmas Eve, and you have a house full of guests. And there's so many pretty ones to choose from. I use them all the time for birthday gifts. 9 times out of 10 I don't shop for a birthday gift until the day of the party. I know what gift I'm giving. It's just that I procrastinate sometimes going to get it. Then while I'm picking up the gift I also grab a bag and some tissue paper (oh and a card). It's terrible I know, but what am I gonna do? (wink)

As far as Christmas, the last few years I've resorted back to gift boxes. I think it's because you can get them now already decorated so there's no need for wrapping paper. I was never any good at wrapping gift boxes, but I loved trying. I still use gift bags for those items that cannot go into a box. I like to coordinate the colors so it doesn't look too busy under the Christmas tree. The really small gift bags are great for things like gift cards, jewelry, snowman soup, baked goods - things like that. Whatsmore, gift bags are easier to transport when your arms are full and they're reusabled if you manage not to rip them. I guess the same can be said about giftboxes (being reusable) but they take up more space than a gift bag will.

Christmas Journaling - Christmas Carols

2010-10-16T19:16:00.001-04:00

Keep the traditional or please write some new one?

What's wrong with the traditional songs? Nothing! To me the traditional Christmas songs are an important part of the holiday season. They tell us stories of how and why we celebrate such a joyous ocassion.

Now that being said, I want to also say that I like the new, more hip Christmas songs as well. I thought I had heard every Christmas song there was, and am always amazed when I hear something new or different.  For a long time I only knew of the songs my parents, aunts and uncles used to play regularly when I was a kid and the songs sung in church. It wasn't until I got older I began find out about other kinds of Christmas music.

I start playing Christmas tunes the day after Thanksgiving. I consider myself to be well rounded and will listen to any kind of holiday tunes. It depends on what mood I'm in. Like when I'm enjoying a nice evening at home just lying around on the sofa, gazing at the Christmas tree and all the decorations, I usually play instrumental tunes. If I'm sipping on a glass of wine I'll spice up the music with some holiday jazz. That get's my fingers snapping.

When I'm cleaning and getting the house ready for decorating, I put on the old R&B Christmas classics: The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Nat King Cole, etc. Those songs always remind me of when my family would all gather at my grandma's house.  She lived in a little apartment and one of my uncles and his family lived directly under her in their apartment. Somehow we all fitted in there nice and snugged (counting 8 siblings, their spouses/friends and us kids).  One uncle and one aunt are no longer here, and the family has grown over the years with great grandkids and great-great grandkids.  And now the family gathers at my little apartment. :-)

Now when I'm sitting at the computer (like now) I tune into Merry Christmas Radio and when I'm wrapping gifts, baking cookies or taking a drive around the neighborhood looking at the lights, I usually turn on the radio where the local station plays Christmas music nonstop til New Year's Day.  The radio is where I heard 'Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer' and Porky Pig's version of 'Blue Christmas'.  That Porky Pig song always crack me up. I remember the first time I heard it. It was about 2:00 in the morning during the holidays. I was on the highway on my way home from my second job (it was parttime) when it came on the radio. I was in tears by the time the song ended. I had never heard such a crazy song before.
Then there's a couple that I tear-up a little whenever they come on the radio. One is "Christmas Shoes". The other is actually a narration, when Santa meets a soldier during a war. I don't know the name of it, but everytime I hear it, I just sigh and begin to think about all those soldiers fighting in wars, not being home with their families for the holidays.

I have quite a few favorite holiday songs: "Let It Snow," by Boys II Men; "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," by Burl Ives; "Winter Wonderland," by The Eurythmics - to name a few. "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas", by James Taylor, has become one of my favorite Christmas songs (I like Taylor anyway and have several of his cd's). His version of the song gives me a warm feeling inside and I especially love the video. It makes me think about my family coming altogether Christmas Eve. A new tradition I started about 7 or 8 years ago. It's the only time everyone gets to see everyone all at once. A few months ago I finally broke down and downloaded the entire album  and have been playing it ever since.

Christmas Is Coming

2010-10-12T19:01:00.001-04:00

Know how I know? I saw it with my own eyes. Heehee.

I had Columbus day off so I decided to do some Christmas shopping. I started my day at 5:00 a.m. First I took my boyfriend to work (his car is in the shop), then headed to the 24-hour Super Walmart. I love shopping in Walmart in the wee hours of the morning. So quiet and peaceful. You can take your time and really look around. Also it's when the workers are stocking the shelves with all the new goodies. I was in there for hours. I was looking for Christmas decorations but nothing has been put up yet. They do have boxes of Christmas trees stacked on high shelves in the garden center section, but that's all. I was also hunting for the new holiday scented candles by Air Wick. No such luck on that either.

After leaving Walmart I stopped in Kmart and what should mine eyes see?.... An assortment of Christmas trees. Not just trees - outdoor decorations, gift wrap, lights, ornaments, pretty bows, Santas and snowmen. Tableware..... Oh I could just go on and on.

I was scared to take more pictures. I didn't want the people thinking I was a competitor from another store. (wink)

Butter Pecan Cookies

2010-10-10T16:03:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week the ladies and I at MHH were just talking about our day when my friend Lana mentioned that she and her husband were picking pecans. There's a picture of the pecan tree on her blog. I have never seen an actual pecan tree myself. I like to use pecans when I bake "butter pecan cookies". I only make them at Christmastime.

Here's how I do mine.

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecan

Directions
In a medium bowl mix flour and salt together. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and egg. Mix until well blended.

Slowly add the flour and salt. Mix well. Add chopped pecans. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough in to 1" balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten balls with the bottom of a glass dipped in flour. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until lightly colored.

I get my pecans from the grocery store - already chopped. If you have fresh pecans, like my friend Lana, toast them in the oven for a few minutes first. Then proceed with baking.

Christmas Journaling - Candy Canes

2010-10-02T19:44:00.000-04:00

Like? Chew? or Throw Away?

I don't eat candy canes like I did when I was a kid and every year I continue to buy them - mainly for the kids. I used to put them on the tree but got tired of that so I just keep them in a decorative container. Last year I bought the fruity flavored candy canes by Life Savors (in addition to buying the peppermint ones). I really enjoyed the Life Savors and will buy more this year. The kids didn't even touch the peppermint ones. As a matter of fact, back in August I finally threw them out.

Christmas Journaling - Eggnog

2010-09-23T16:01:00.000-04:00

I love eggnog. I don't remember when I started drinking it but every year I make sure to keep it in the fridge. I start looking for eggnog to appear on the shelves around Thanksgiving. My favorite brand is by a local grocery chain, Giant. I will also by Turkey Hill when the store runs out of their brand.

Not only do I like the ones found in the grocery store, I also have a favorite alcohol brand too. My all-time favorite is by Engle Brook. I would love to one day make some homemade eggnog with rum in it - yummy. Maybe I'll give it a try this year (Hmmm, have to think about that). There are so many recipes that I'm sure I'll find one that is simple and easy.

At Christmas I used to fill a big punch bowl with non-alcoholic eggnog and add vanilla or French vanilla icecream. The kids loved it. So did the adults except they would add a little rum to theirs - lol. I haven't done that in years and don't know why. I think it's making a comeback this holiday season.

100 Day Mark

2010-09-15T11:12:00.000-04:00

Well it's here! The day we hit 100 days to Christmas. I'm excited, are you? Soon I shall be receiving emails from BHG counting down the days with loads of decorating, cooking and gift ideas.

Singing: "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... Everywhere you go......"

Christmas Journaling

2010-09-09T09:58:00.001-04:00

Members at Magical Holiday Home are keeping journals of their Christmas memories. "The goal is to share your thoughts with yourself first and then if you choose, others in perhaps the future. " - Pixiestick. I thought that this was a great idea and started my own journal. I will be sharing some of my memories from now til Christmas.

If you would like to start your own journal, you can find the list of questions here.

Happy journaling.

It's Coming!

2010-09-07T19:02:00.001-04:00

Yes, yes, Christmas is coming. Only 108 days. Will you be ready? I sure hope to be.

With my trusty notebook in hand I've been going over everything I need to do before the big day arrives. So far I have my budget, gift list, shopping list and holiday menu done. I really need to get on the ball shopping for gifts. So starting this week I plan to start shopping. I spent the day Saturday with my nieces and nephews to find out what they wanted for Christmas. My niece is into the Whimpy Kid books. She already has two so I will get her the other two I saw in Walmart. She also wants some games for her DS. My nephew just wants games for his XBox. I want to have all my gifts purchased before Thanksgiving.

Then there's those craft projects to complete. Today I finished putting together a holiday mix playlist then burned them on to CDs. I'm also making photo calendars for the second year. They were such a big hit last year.

Yesterday I was in the mood to bake so I made some shortbread cookies. I decorated them with color sugar for a festive look. The cookies turned out good but would have been better with icecream. So I went to the store today to pick up a pint of vanilla icecream. I know what I will be snacking on tonite.

Blizzard 2010 - Progress

2010-02-14T12:06:00.000-05:00

When the snow finally stopped it was said that we received a total of 40" of snow. Many of the roads are passable, but barely. You have to watch out for lanes quickly merging into one and there not being any leadways off ramps of highways to the streets and vic-verse. In the city, they had to revert to dumping snow into the Baltimore Inner Harbor. And near the airport, they are using a machine that melts the snow and another machine that's used to flatten snow at ski resorts.
The parking lot of my apartment complex looks fantastic. They have been working day and night since Saturday. Yesterday they brought in a couple of bob-cats, and a dump truck to clear away as much snow as they can. See.

(Some folks never even bothered to dig out their cars, so they're still covered)

What snow they didn't take away, they made huge mountains on the lawns.

I cannot wait for all of this snow to go. I have never been more ready for spring. We should have some awsome blooms this year from all this water.

February Focus : The Budget

2010-02-08T20:55:00.000-05:00

This month's focus is the holiday budget. Recently, I spent some time going over last year's holiday budget and I did extremely well with my spending. I spent a little over half my original budget and that included gifts, food, decorations, etc.

Although I was under budget as a whole, certain groups I went a little or quite a bit over budget. For instance my grocery bill was nearly $100 over budget. I did not realize I had spent so much. As for buying gifts, I only spent half of what I budgeted. Those early sales were a big, big help and I got everyone the perfect gift - just what they wanted. The most I spent on a gift was $100 and that was the Wii Guitar Hero 5 bundle for my 10 year old niece. The least amount spent on a gift was $3.50. The ladies in the accounting office where I work received alterd jars filled with a variety of chocolates. Thanks to having most of the supplies already for making the jars, all I had to do was buy the chocolates to fill the jars (6 total).

Now it's time to get the 2010 holiday budget started. My budget is divided into the the following categories:

gifts
food/baking
entertainment
decorations/home
charitable donations
greeting cards/postage
miscellaneous

The first thing I did was assign a budget to each category. I found this site which has some nice worksheets. There are 5 worksheets: a general budget, a budget for immediate family gifts, a budget for friends and extended family gifts, a budget for grandkids gifts, and a sheet for planning next year's budget. Of course I made a few changes to suit my needs. I like these sheets because I can just enter the amounts and everything is automatically calculated for me.

Now with the gift category of the budget covered, I still needed a way to track my other expenses (food, decorations, etc). So I created several more spreadsheets. The spreadsheets have the following colums: Purchase, Storage Location, Amount and Balance. This will allow me to see how much I'm spending throughout the year and that I don't go over budget.

By the end of the year I will be able to see if I need to make some cuts to my budget or if I can lower my budget for next year. If this year is anything like 2009, I will be able to lower my budget.

Winter Storm of 2010

2010-02-07T18:49:00.000-05:00

There is so much snow. We received between 25" to 3 feet, breaking the record of 2003. And there's talk about another snow storm heading this way from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon. To pass the time I grabbed my digital camera and took some pictures from my balcony.

Some branches broke from the trees as a result of heavy snow. I'm always praying that those trees don't fall on my building.

This is one of the side streets that takes me to the main roads. When I moved here nearly 11 years ago you couldn't even see the homes across the road. That's how many trees we've lost due to bad weather.

And here's a view of the parking lot from the bedroom window.

It may not look like it but maintenance did a good job considering all the snow that fell. You can actually see the street.

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-07T12:19:00.000-05:00

It's Superbowl Sunday! My boyfriend and I had plans to go to friend's house to watch the game but we got hit with a lot of snow this weekend. It's the worst snow we've ever had. This snowfall broke the record from 2003 which was recorded at 28 inches of snow. This snowfall reach nearly 3 feet.

So we are staying home. I put together some snacks so he will be happy while watching the game. As for me I will make dinner: Shrimp parmigiana, spaghetti with sauce, caesar salad, and garlic bread. And for dessert, red velvet cake. This dinner was originally for Valentine's Day but I decided to celebrate a little early. Now I have to come up with a new menu for next week.

All the snow has me motivated to do something Christmasy. After I finish cooking, dinner I will work more on the holiday cd's. They will be given out as party gifts Christmas Eve. The list is growin - I keep adding songs. I have enough music collected to make a double cd.

Last week my mom surprised me with The Simpson's Christmas on DVD. Another new movie to had to my holiday collection. I may put that on while working on my playlist.

January Focus

2010-01-21T11:59:00.000-05:00

As part of year round holiday prepping, our fearless leader, Gingerbug came up with a great idea. Make a list of projects or ideas that we could focus on each month for Rudy Days in 2010. You can see everyone's list here.

This month most of us are focusing on decluttering our notebooks - out with the old, in with the new. I removed last year's shopping/gift lists, budget form, holiday menu, etc., and placed them in the back of my notebook to use as a reference. Then I went on OC's website and printed the new forms for 2010. I also created some of my own forms. The notebook is coming along nicely. I have already added a few cookie recipes and craft ideas that I want to try. Last year I bought Daytimer refill pages and inserted the months September through December in the calendar/schedule section of my book. I didn't know they had planner pages in the normal 8 1/2 x 11. They fit perfectly in my 3-ring binder.

Now I want to decorate my notebook. Check out this one done by Luludou, a fellow MHH member. Isn't it pretty.

Next month's focus will be the holiday budget.

A Cozy Home

2010-01-12T09:45:00.000-05:00

Well here we are. It's a new year. The holidays are behind us. The decorations have been put away and now the house looks a little empty. What to do? The ladies at MHH have some really neat ideas for cozying up the home.

My kitchen is the one area that looks really bare. When I took up my kitchen rugs back in November to decorate for the holidays I threw them hope forcing me to buy new one (which I have yet to do). Plus the kitchen could use a new coat of paint.

To make my home feel cozy I have soft and thick throws everywhere. There's a faux mink throw I keep on my bed. When I'm sitting at the computer I cover myself with my Baltimore Raven's fleece throw. In the living room there's chenille throws to snuggle under while watching tv, listening to music or taking a siesta.

I've hung heavy velour curtains at the windows to help keep out the cold. Not only do they make a room feel cozy but they add color as I live in an apartment and all the walls are white. Another big must have for me, candles. I love candles (some scented, some unscented) and have them everywhere. I love the soft glow they give to a room. On the dining-room chandelier I added shades which cuts down on the sharp brightness of the lights. Makes dinner for two very romantic. Having a soft area rug under-foot is another great way to make a home cozy.

Other things I do to make my home more cozy during the winter months:

display lots of family photos
use fabric on tables
display large pieces of wall art
display colorful floral centerpieces or fill bowls with twig balls, pinecones and such

After you've gotten your home nice and cozy it's time to relax. Take a load off. You need the rest after such a busy month of December. I for one have been just enjoying the idea of coming home, kicking off my shoes, maybe have a glass of Sutter Home's Moscato (sp?) and just enjoy the peace and tranquility. Aahhh! Life is good!

January

2010-01-12T09:40:00.000-05:00

Starting January 3rd, everyone at MHH began decluttering their homes from the holidays. You can read about it here. My decorations have been down for a couple of weeks now but I am still finding items here and there. Like last week I still had my gingerbread stockings hanging from the oven handle. I can't believe I overlooked them. Yesterday while sorting laundry I found more holiday linen that needs washing and put away.

Each month in preparation for Christmas 2010 I will make a list of goals and hopefully fulfill them. For instance this month my goals are to:

Add a new Christmas dvd to my collection.
Declutter my holiday notebook.
Print new pages for notebook from OC.
Make a list of Rudy Day activities.
Go over last year's budget spending. I think I did a lot better in 2009 compared to previous years.
Complete holiday debriefing.
Celebrate Rudy Day.

Happy New Year's Day!

2010-01-01T17:08:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it? A new year, a new decade. I hope 2010 proves to be better than 2009. 2009 was a rough year for everyone. But somehow we manage to survive.

With that I just want to wish everyone a joyous, prosperous, and safe New Year.

New Years Eve

2009-12-31T16:31:00.003-05:00

It's the last day of the year. I hope 2009 was good for you. I know it was good for me. There's been some rocky roads, don't get me wrong. However I'm still here. My health is fairly good. I still have a job. My family is doing alright. When I put all the bad things beside all of the good things that 2009 gave me, the good things win by a mile.

I want to send a special thank you to my friends at Magical Holiday Home. Because of them my holidays have been the best they have ever been. I learn and continue to learn so much from those gals. I don't know how I ever managed without them. They are always there to lean on when daily lifes gets to be too much to handle. We don't just talk about Christmas, we talk about what ailes us, what makes us happy, family, and so on. I've always been a lover of Christmas since I was a little girl. But after finding Organized Christmas back in 2004 I've become a Christmas nut and I love it. And its nice to know that I'm not alone.

2010 finds me taking a hard look at how I want my life to be. I haven't thought about it in quite a while. For one I need to take better care of myself. That means eating better, exercising as well as well as watching my spending habits and worrying so much about things til I'm literally sick to my stomache. Sometimes I find myself so stress that I get ill. And when its all over I think back and wonder why do I put myself through that. I also want to rebuild my relationship with God because without him I would not and could not have made it through 2009. So I am going back to church. I have not attended church service in years. Its time for me to go back home.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T11:18:00.001-05:00

It's finally here! It's Christmas Day!

I'm lying in bed watching tv, recoupperating from last night. About 40+ family members were in my apartment. It was. Great. You could barely move around. People were making comments about having the heat on. I told them I don't have the heat on. It's you people. When evryone was gone I looked at the thermostat - it read 79 deg. LOL! I had to crack open my window when I finally went to bed. I zonked out almost immediately.

Dinner started around 6:30. There was plenty to eat - spiral ham, roast beef, mac & cheese, meatballs, collard greens, shrimp salad, deviled eggs, bbq seasoned and carribean style wingettes, potatoe salad and fresh baked rolls. For appetizers I served baked crab rangoon, blt dip ( a recipe I got from Cathymac - MHH) with asiago cheese & vegetable crackers (What a great combination) and fruit. For desert there was red velvet cake, chocolate cake, and a variety of cookies.

After everyone was done eating and letting their stomachs settle a little, we opened gifts. I started a new tradition last year where I hand out my gifts to everyone and then have them all open their gifts at one time while I record them with my camera. I think everyone loved what they got. I listen to them throughout the year and take notes unbeknowns to them.

I received some great gifts as well. I got a really nice Baltimore Ravens fleece throw, a pretty top, one of those snuggies with matching slippers, nice scented diffusers, a glass salad bowl set, my middle niece made me some home-made cookies (yummy), and something I really needed - flatware. I also received several Walmart gift cards which will be used tomorrow. I also got a nice carrying bag for my new portable Dvd player. I can't remember everything but I love them all. I'm not hard to please. I appreciate everything I get.

I'm posting from my phone so when I get back to work (in the new year) I will post pictures.

One of my cousins is having dinner at her house today, so I may go there. On Christmas Day I usually just lounge around the house, relaxing, taking it easy.

I think I'm going to pour me a glass of milk and eat a few of my nieces homemade cookies. Ta ta for now!

Holiday Tour of Homes Part II

2009-12-14T12:35:00.000-05:00

I'm back with more pictures. These are pictures of home. Sorry,I have a lot of them. Hope you enjoy them.

Lets start with the entrance.

Here's my little foyer.

These are the socks I thought I threw out. Boy was I glad to find them. I bought 6 of them from Dollar Tree about 11 years ago. These two are hanging on my coat closet doors.

The Hallway

The nativity

"Rockin' around the Christmas tree - at the penguin party hop."

Here's the rest of my socks hanging on the closet doors in the hallway. Here's where all my Christmas decor is stored.

I have these wreaths hanging on the bedroom doors.

Here's the livingroom.

The nutcrackers found a new home in the livingroom.

It's a blurry view of the balcony.

The diningroom.

These Santas are actually tree toppers.

Since I no longer have my curio, I decided to display my Christmas village along the shelves. I like them better here.

Gingerbread Galore!

Nothing says Christmas like poinsettias.

I received a bath set in this little Santa bag last year. While going through my box of gifts bags I came across him and decided that I did not want to use it as a gift bag In other words - give it to anyone else) so I hung it on the cabinet door. I think he likes it here.

...and more pictures

Well that's all. Hope I didn't bore you too much. I just love taking pictures.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Holiday Tour of Homes Part I

2009-12-11T14:14:00.002-05:00

Here are the pics of my office. It's a bird theme. Enjoy!

This is the entrance into my office. I decorated this door and the door of another office the same way.

Here's my office. Well actually I share with another lady.

This is my co-workers area.

I decorated her board with pretty wrapping paper then hung a wreath I made several Christmases ago in the center.

Her desk looks so neat because she's not in today. (Hahaha!)

Here's my side of the office.

I dressed my board up with a different paper and wreath design.

and here's my desk...

You like my Snowman. I've had him for about 6 years.

This is the door to my boss' office. It's right between my area and my co-worker's area.

And now the main attraction, our Christmas tree!

Doesn't those ornaments I bought from Dollar Tree a few weeks ago look great ? I've gotten lots of compliments on my tree this year. Plus the ribbon is the icing on the cake.

Guess What!? Santa paid us a visit.

For security purposes, the bailiffs issued him a temporary badge while he visits with us.

Well that's all for now. Check back Monday for part II.

Cath-Up

2009-12-10T09:18:00.000-05:00

So much has been going on since my last post. My home is all decorated. Gifts are bought, wrapped and under the tree. Plans for my family Christmas Eve dinner are going great. My family loved the dvd greeting cards I sent them this year. I can't wait until we are all together. It's going to be so much fun. What's really great is a cousin whom I haven't seen in probably 10 years is coming and he's bringing his wife.

We had our first snow fall last Saturday. It was so beautiful. It snowed nearly all day. It really put me in the Christmas mood. I cranked up the holiday tunes and wrapped gifts while drinking rum eggnog - Mmm, mmm good. We got a little bit more Tuesday night but the rain had washed it all away by Wednesday morning. Boy did it pour. There were floods everywhere. Skies are clear today and sunny, but it is very windy and cold.

Next Wednesday will be my last day at work. I will be off until the new year (Whoo-hoo!). This will give me a few days to get all of my baking done and take care of any last minute issues before the family gets together.

My mom and I are hooking up later today to do some Christmas shopping. She's one of those people who shops at the last minute. Speaking of shopping I was in Kmart yesterday and found some great deals on men's crew-neck shirts and sweaters. I bought a pair of jeans for one of my nephews for $14.99. They are THRE3 jeans by Polo. Originally $24.99. I couldn't believe the price and am going back today to get him another pair and two sweaters. The sweaters are beautiful. I wouldn't mind one for myself. What is shocking is that they were in Kmart. I also found some nice night-gowns and ladies robes at half the original price.

Tonight after shopping I need to take pictures of my place so that I can get them posted for the Holiday Tour of Homes. Cathymac, one of my friends at Magical Holiday Home is again hosting. You will be able to see how members (and non-members) have decorated their homes for the holidays on Cathy's blog, "Cathymac's Holiday Hamlet". If you would like to show off your fabulous home, Cathy has provided us with a way to link our blogs or pictures. Hope to see you there.

Well I better get off this computer and do some work before the boss catches me.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a safe and happy wonderful day. Don't eat too much turkey (Gobble, Gobble).

Another Productive Day

2009-11-25T19:39:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in the livingroom right now listening to the Hannuka song by Adam Sandler. The easy listening station in my area started playing Christmas tunes. Nothing but Christmas songs from now til New Years.

Yesterday I decorated my foyer and hall areas. First I sat up my nativity scene on the table in the hall. I placed two candle holders on each side of the scene. Then across from the table is a cd cabinet where I placed my singing penguins and snowman. My neighbor bought it for me two Christmases from Hallmark. Last year I received the singing snowmen. Not sure where they will go yet. I couldn't find my knitted socks that I usually hang on the doorknobs in the hall and foyer so I hung some cute signs I bought from Dollar Tree. I really hope that I didn't throw them away when I was getting rid of old decorations. I've looked everywhere for them. Right next to the coat closet in the foyer I hung a cute broom. I wrapped clear lights around the two topiaries which sit right behind the front door in the foyer. They sit on either side of a wall mirror. And on the mirror I attached a large bow.

Today I worked in the kitchen. I have a gingerbread theme in this area. I outlined my cabinets wth lights. Then I decorated one section of the counters with a gingerbread Christmas village, another section with two large gingerbread people holding flour and sugar sacks. On the center counter I have a Santa cookie jar - another Christmas from my neighbor. I even hung some gingerbread men above the sink. They are made to hold treats but I just stuffed them with tissue paper. On the kitchen table sits a 3ft Christmas tree. I only have the lights on right now as I think I threw out the garland I use for the tree. Now I'll have to buy new garland before I add my gingerbread ornaments. Under the tree I have several gingerbread figurines. I also have figurines displayed on top of the fridge. Speaking of the fridge, I took a few of the gingerbread ornaments and taped them to the freezer door. At the sink is my gingerbread kitchen rug. And hanging from the center cabinet is a gingerbread wreath I made. One I get the garland and add the ornament, my kitchen will be complete.

Tomorrow I think I will work either on the livingroom or bathroom.

I hope to be done decorating my entire home by Sunday. On Monday I will try to post pictures.

It's Time to Decorate!

2009-11-23T16:08:00.001-05:00

Last week during Get Cooking Week I spent some time going over one last time my menu for the annual family Christmas Eve. Dinner. I made a few changes to the menu. Instead of doing ribs I've decided to do a roast. I made roast beef last month for Sunday dinner with carrots and onions and it was so good. Last year I bought Bruce Lee wings from Cross Street Market that my family truly loved. Many of my family members had never heard of these wings. I was recently asked by some folks if I would be serving them again this year so I've added them to the menu. That's about all I did for that week.

And now for the moment I've been waiting for. (Drum roll)

DECORATE!

I am on vacation this week so I started setting up my Christmas decor. Over the weekend I cleaned my place and put away all of my fall decorations. I normally wait to decorate Friday after Thanksgiving but since I will be going elsewhere I decided to take them down.

I started with the balcony. I hung up my multicolor icicle lights and wrapped the bannister with garland and lights. I made a new garland for the bannister using two types of pine garland, pinecone garland and berry garland. Then I wrapped them with multi color lights. I originally planned to use the garland around my front door but thought it would look better on the balcony - and it does. I even set up a 3 ft tree in a corner and hung up my new huge wreath I made at the end of last season. Now the only thing I have to do out there is hang my grapevine wreath on the wall (Which I forgot to do yesterday) and replace the tablecloth on the patio table. A large artificial poinsettia will be the centerpiece for the table.

Today I decorated the diningroom. I decorated the table with a white damask table cloth then draped a red damask tablerunner on top. Next I sat out my red charger plates and topped them off with red glass dinner and salad plates. At each setting I put out my red wine glasses and holly pattern water glasses. Since I broke my centerpiece I took a hurricane vase and wrapped a berry garland around the base. Then I have 4 beaded cone-shape trees cornering out the centerpiece. At either end of he centerpiece I have tree topper Santas - one dressed in the traditional red and one dressed in white. That's all I've done to the table so far. I still have to pin my miniature wreaths to the backs of the dining chairs. Plus I still have to finish setting the table and put a candle in the hurricane vase. I wrapped garland around the chandelier and switched out the cream shades for holiday shades. I took a small table from the livingroom and placed it in the corner where my curio used to be (got rid of it) and placed a 3 ft tree on it. I have lights, ribbons and red glass ornaments on it but want to add some novelty ornaments like Santa. I think I may have some in one of the other totes. I found some really cute tree skirts in Dollar Tree last year for a final touch. The skirt is perfect for table-top trees.

And finally today I set up my Christmas village. Since I gave away my curio, I decided to set the village in the hall but decided today to display them on the wall shelf that separates the diningroom and kitchen. First I lined the shelves with batting then I added the houses, trees and people. It turned out really nice. Then behind the scenes I place a couple of small candle holders and placed tealight candles in them. The lighting from the tealights should give the village a very nice glow.

Now I'm plum tuckered out. I have called it a day and have started clearing up. I feel good. So glad I took the week off. I have more time to get things the way I want with no rush to be finished by December 1st. I'm not sure which area I will work on tomorrow.

Get Cooking Week

2009-11-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

This week at OC it's "Get Cooking" week and with Thanksgiving a week away, there's lots to do. Check it out here. I'll be back later in the week with my progress.

Gifts & Giving

2009-11-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned before I have about 40+ people to buy/make gifts for. That's why it's a good idea to shop throughout the year if you're able to. At Organized Christmas, this week Christmas Countdown talks all about gifts and giving.

My gift list is nearly complete. I think that my family will really enjoy what I got them this year. Here's how my gift closet is looking so far:

several scarf/hat/glove sets
EZ Bake Oven cookie maker
fuzzy bedroom slippers
Men's crew-neck tops
learning lap-top
learning games
board games
light and sound helicopter
fuzzy women's robes
sweaters and jeans
Massaging/warmer foot slippers for SIL
2 movie baskets
5 pc glass candle holder set
3 pc candle set w/mirror tray
2 fleece bath wraps for a cousin
several sets of pj's
An outfit for sil's mother
An outfit and playstation game for a boy cousin
A few craft items for a kids basket
A 'baby's 1st Christmas' ornament
Pair of jeans and pullover sweater for my oldest nephew
Hannah Montanna handbag
Make-up kit
Homemade Advent Calendar
Homemade teacup candles
Wine basket, and
Several ladies house-gowns

Earlier this week I was on Amazon.com and I saw some old tv shows on DVD that I plan to purchase for my uncles. Ma & Pa Kettle series, Hawaii Five O seasons, Topper and Blondie. They will really enjoy watching those.

I still wasn't sure what to get my folks. Then I thought I would get my stepdad an ipod to take with him when he works out at the VA gym. Then I remembered I had an MP3 player that I wasn't using so I gave that to him instead. Now I've decided that I am going to get him a nice sweat suit. He wears them a lot when he's just hanging around the house or when out running errands. As for my mom, still undecided.

Last year I fell in love with a store called Five Below. Everything in the store is $5 or less. I found great computer games and stocking stuffers for my younger cousins. I'm going again this year to pick up a few DVD games that the kids as well as the adults can play. One of the games I plan to get is "Name That Tune". This will be the game we play on Christmas Eve. I can see us all cracking up with laughter trying to guess the titles of songs. There's one about a mile away from my job. I may shoot up there on my lunch break.

Reality Check Part 2

2009-11-08T06:40:00.000-05:00

Well I had a productive second half of this week. The first half I was feeling very tired and lazy and couldn't get much done. This week was my boyfriend's birthday and I did manage to make him a nice dinner: Fillet Mignon, steamed broccoli with a garlic sauce, baked potatoes and butterfly pan-fried shrimp. He really enjoyed the dinner and his gift (a sweater). Now that that's over and I've gotten most of my energy back, I am once again motivated to having a very nice Christmas.

Shopping for gifts today was great. I found a lot of great bargains. I made sure to take my shopping list with me that way I didn't stray. In Walmart, I found new holiday air fresheners by Freebreeze. I bought the twin pack of Fresh Evergreen & Snow ($5), Mistletoe & Magic, andPomegranate Berry & Sparkle. I can't wait to use them in December. I stuck to the list and only bought what I set out to get. Once home I sorted the gifts, then put everything into the gift closet and updated my gift closet list. I had planned to do some baking but I was out longer than I expected. It was a fun day. I'm so very proud of myself. So much so that as a reward I treated myself to some icecream.

Tasks for Reality Week are now checked off on my list.

Budget: I usually keep the same budget each year which in the last few years have been more than I actually spend for the holidays. I set up my budget the same time I create my gift list.
Holiday Housework Plans: Housework will be minimal (Thanks to HGP). Just the normal, everyday cleaning as is all that will be needed.
Check Smoke Detectors: Maintenance has been to all the units to check smoke/carbon monoxide detectors as well as change the batteries.
Tabletop Check: Throughout the month of December I use holiday decorated paper plates and napkins for everyday meals. On Christmas Eve I pull out the real dinner plates, flatware and glassware, etc. I bought a lot of dishes at Dollar Tree several holiday seasons ago. They are white with a Holly pattern trim. I even purchased several sets of matching salt/pepper shakers, and napkin holder and spoon rest. I love those dishes. To have come from the dollar store, they are holding up very well.I need to come up with a centerpiece for my dining table. I made a nice holly centerpiece which had three glass candle holders with shades. Last year while trying to bring it down from the closet top shelf, it slipped out of my hands, hit the floor and the candle holders broke into pieces. : (
Christmas Cards: Earlier this week MHH members received the list of names for the Christmas Card Exchange. I pulled out my Christmas cards and started signing and addressing them. I like to mail out my cards December 1st. We have members all over the world participating in the exchange. It's so much fun getting mail from other countries.
Good Health Habits:

Fall decorations will come down the day before Thanksgiving. I have taken that whole week off and this year Thanksgiving is being held elsewhere. So I can take them down early and clear the way for Christmas decorating which always starts "Black Friday". I spend the whole weekend decorating. Thinking more about it, since I will be off all week, the fall decor may come down earlier than that, and I just may go ahead and start Christmas decorating. Perhaps doing the lights on the balcony and outside my front door. (It's always a good idea to start putting up outdoor lights before the temps get too cold.)

Giveaway!

2009-11-06T12:57:00.002-05:00

Fellow member Leann of MHH is celebrating obtaining 100 followers to her blog! Let's give her a big round of applause and congratulations. In celebration, she will be giving away and very nice Christmas basket full of goodies. Please check out her blog, "The Old Parsonage" on how to enter the drawing. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

More of Dollar Tree

2009-11-06T11:08:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting at my desk searching my favorite web sites, looking at everything Christmas. The boss is off today and so is the other lady I work with so it's a peaceful, relaxing day. This weekend my cousin and I are going to do some holiday shopping. I still haven't finish gift shopping. We plan to visit several stores - Walmart, KMart, AC Moore, Michaels, Dollar Tree, Big Lots, and Target.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Dollar Tree is my all time favorite store to shop in. I have turned so many friends, family and co-workers on to this store til it's not funny. You can find so many stocking stuffers there. There's also gift wrap supplies and decorations for people like me who don't have a lot of money to spend. Almost all of my holiday decorations were bought at Dollar Tree. Several years ago I found these beautiful porcelain ornaments which I used to decorate the tree in the master bedroom last year. When I first bought them I had them on the main Christmas tree in the livingroom. In other stores they'd probably cost a fortune. And these little Christmas village pieces are also Dollar Tree finds. Plus they light up! Everything on this tree (including lighted star tree topper, ribbon and tree skirt) in the guest bedroom are all Dollar Tree finds. Even these wall plaques are from my favorite store. I made this wreath with items purchased at Dollar Tree (including the grapevine wreath and wreath hanger).

If there is a Dollar Tree near where you live, you've got to check them out. Where I live, we have them everywhere and believe me I have been to every one in Baltimore and the immediate surrounding counties. I even make it my business to stop at the one we pass on our way to Ocean City. Sometimes you can come across something in on store that the other store doesn't have.

Reality Check

2009-11-04T15:35:00.009-05:00

This week it's time to face reality. Are your plans for making the "perfect" Christmas putting your budget in jeopardy? Has everyday life forced you to changed how the holidays will be celebrated? Now is the time to put things into perspective. It's time to get started on those Christmas cards, decide on your outfit for the office Christmas party, and if you will be hosting a party or dinner at your home,perform a tabletop check of table linens, dishes, serving supplies, etc.

I will be back later to let you know how my week has been going. Also don't forget to read the articles CEO has posted at the bottom of this week's countdown. Especially this article, "One Right Way to Celebrate? Wrong!" I think you will like what it has to say.

It's The Christmas Countdown

2009-10-27T14:15:00.002-04:00

I'm late. CEO of Organized Christmas has yet another countdown. "Christmas Countdown" started Sunday. It's six weeks of pure fun. To learn more click here. For the past two months I have been following the Holiday Grand Plan which focuses more on house cleaning before the holidays. Well my place is as ready as it's going to be.With Christmas Countdown, I forget about house cleaning (Well not really) and focus more on holiday prepping.

This week we Get Organized. If you haven't done so already it's time to make lists, think about holiday meals, schedule professional cleaning (if needed), and schedule family photos. It's also a week to think about Christmases past. What worked? What didn't? Any changes you'd like to make for this year?

Have a holiday planner? If not, this is the time to get one started. CEO has created lots of forms that you can print and add to your planner. Need to decide on what the family is wearing for the photos for the Christmas cards, this wardrobe planner should come in handy. Having a potluck dinner? Use this form to keep track of what each person will be bringing.

I've been doing the countdown since 2006 (The year I found Organized Christmas) and let me tell you it has really helped me enjoy my holidays more.

Here's what my planner looks like. It's a three ring notebook with a clearview front. I just inserted a piece of scrapbook paper for the background. Then printed and inserted the cover on top. The cover is the work of Ms. Melinda. There are some ladies at MHH whose notebooks are much more creative than mine. I tell you, these ladies are talented. I just have a simple book cover. Heehee.

My notebook is divided into 10 sections:

Activities. Here is where I keep my calendars and the Christmas Countdown checklists.
House Cleaning. In this section I have the Holiday Grand Plan or Houseworks Holiday Plan
Crafts. In this section I keep a list of homemade gifts and decorations as well as ideas for future projects.
Autumn. All about Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving
Decorate. Decorating ideas, room by room planning, decor inventory.
Gifts. Gift list, budget, shopping list,Gift closet inventory, stocking stuffer and gift basket ideas
Foods/Recipes. Holiday menus, grocery lists, dessert recipes, pantry/freezer inventory
Entertainment. Holiday party planning, holiday movie/music/book collection.
Addresses. Names and addresses of folks I send Christmas cards to. Tracker form of cards sent/received.
Debriefing. Summary of the holiday experience as well as making a few new year's resolutions.

I keep a sheet protector in the back of the book to hold receipts. Some members at MHH use large envelopes. It's really up to you. I also keep blank lined paper for writing notes and reminders and keep the previous years forms for comparising and for guidence for the next year.

Get Organized week is pretty much done. Being a big Christmas fanatic, I spend time here and there throughout the year planning.

All my lists are done (gift list, holiday menu, shopping list, address list, etc.).
No travel plans for me. I like to stay home during the holidays. Luckily for me the majority of my family live here in Maryland.
No overnight guests visiting this year.
I have a steam cleaner my step-dad bought me a few Christmases ago so I clean my own carpet twice a year. I plan to spot clean the main traffic areas such as the hallyway and the livingroom. I also clean my livingroom furniture twice a year. The furniture is in great shape and doesn't need cleaning right now.
No photo sessions to plan either.

Be sure to check out the weekly readings CEO has posted as part of the countdown. They are very inspirational and give great tips and advice.

Finds at Dollar Tree

2009-10-19T15:17:00.002-04:00

Well I did it. I did what I said I wasn't going to do - buy more Christmas decorations.

I couldn't help it. I went to Dollar Tree to buy a few aluminum pans. As soon as I stepped through the door, Christmas stuff was everywhere. I was immediately drawn over to see what they had. I saw the most pretty purple ornaments. I mean they were georgeous.

In my defense, I really needed these ornaments. This year's tree in my office will be a bird theme. I already have red birds that I bought from $ Tree last year (or the year before). I wanted to add more ornaments to the tree and when I saw them I just couldn't pass them up.

I bought two of each shape (star, heart, wreath, sock). They will look lovely on my tree.

These are the birds I will be using.

I wonder if that will be enough? Maybe I'll buy two more of each. Also on the tree will be berry garland and regular glass ornaments. It would be cool if I had ornaments with birds painted on them.

Week 7 of Holiday Prep - Nothing Really Going On.

2009-10-15T08:27:00.000-04:00

I don't know what to do with myself. I am at a standstill. Other than shopping for the remainder of the gifts, the rest of the holiday prep cannot be done until December (or at least Thanksgiving Weekend).

So at home I sit, twitteling (sp?) my thumbs, trying to think of what I can do. All my craft projects are completed (There weren't that many to begin with). Lists are done, menus planned, apartment is cleaned (with the exception of the guest room), parties and other events are penciled-in. There's nothing left to do right now.

Many of my friends at MHH are getting ready for Halloween. They are planning costumes for family members, going over decorations, foods and activities for their parties. My best friend and her husband always plan and have the best Halloween parties. I offered to help but they refused. They just want me to focus on Christmas. The only thing I had to focus on was a costume. I ended up buying a pirate costume instead of a midevil costume - was cheaper. Boy I tell you, buying a costume is very expensive. I am definately making my costume next year.

Week Six Holiday Prep - Stocking Stuffers

2009-10-05T11:28:00.000-04:00

Well I finally purchased everything for my 10 year old niece's advent calendar.

lip gloss
bangle bracelets
hair bands
designer leggings (tights)
leg warmers
fun socks
nail polish
fun writing pens/pencils
candy
mini digital photo viewer keychain
bubble bath
jewelry
note pads
fun stickers
watch
gift certificate to Friendly's
hand lotions
lip balm
perfume
ear muffs
mittens
change purse
$10

I'll give the gifts to her mom Thanksgiving weekend so that she will have them by December 1st. They need to be wrapped though. Will have to get started on that.

HGP Prep Week Five

2009-09-28T09:36:00.001-04:00

This week MHH members tackle the Master Bathroom and linen closet. I deep-cleaned my bathroom a few weeks ago because I was ready to put up fall color linens.

This week we are also encouraged to make a batch of holiday goodies and add an extra meal to the freezer. I for one am waiting til December to bake goodies. I have dedicated an entire day with Christmas music, eggnog, the works. Besides my freezer is small and I don't have room. However I have dedicated my freezer to meals. As the holidays draw closer and I am pressed for time, all I will have to do is quickly grab something from the freezer, heat and serve. CEO shares some great tips for freezer cooking. So far in my freezer I have meatloaf, minced bbq, and lasagna. More will be added each week.

Other plans for this week are:

purchase more non-perishable items for holiday meals. This also includes baking ingredients
purchase more Christmas gifts from list
work on homemade gifts
look for new holiday movies to add to my collection

This Week

2009-09-25T11:24:00.000-04:00

Well it's Rudy Day at MHH & OC. There's two more before the big day (Dec. 25th). This week found me putting up more fall decorations and organizing the master bedroom. Also I printed labels for the DVD greeting cards I'm sending out this year. My famiy is really gonna enjoy watching this homemade dvd over and over again. While watching the many photos of Christmases past, songs by Donny Hathaway and Luther Vandross play in the background.

My dessert list is finally done! It's mainly cookies.

chocolate chip
chocolate cake mix cookies with peanut butter chips
old-fashioned snicker doodles
sugar cut-outs
eggnog sparkle
oatmeal-raisin
Santa thumbprint
pecan-shortbread
Oreo balls
Ornament shape holiday cake
Grandmother's jelly cookies.

I got the recipes for the snicker doodles and eggnog sparkle cookies from two nice ladies who are fellow members at Magical Holiday Home, (Hi Jessica and Snowangel00). Snowangel you may not remember posting this recipe. It was when CEO had the forum at Organized Christmas.

I'm at work right now and things are really quiet and slow. My boss has kept hisself closed up in his office all morning. Well I'm enjoying it while I can.

Be sure to check out my other blogs, Hey Rudolph! and The Harvest. I just added new posts over there.

99 Days to Christmas

2009-09-17T08:37:00.001-04:00

Time is running down! While reading posts on MHH, I saw that yesterday marked 100 days before Christmas. It kind of shocked me. I knew it was closing in but didn't realize that it was so close. Things are going to get really busy from now until.

Today I brought my Christmas notebook to work with me. When I get a chance I am going to flip through it to see how much I have left to do from my checklist. I know for one, I have to get the rest of my shopping done. I plan to spend Saturday doing just that. I think I will shop by myself as I want to take my time and I plan to get out very early in the morning and travel to a lot of places in several different counties.

I also want to finish writing up my room by room plans. I think there are three more areas to plan. Oh plus my office. The office this year is going to be a bird theme. I purchased a lot of red birds from Dollar Tree either last Christmas or the year before. So that's what will be on my office tree this year, along with some faux berry garland, and maybe some seeded ornaments (may have to make those myself). You know things that go with birds. Oh and I still need to finish a couple of craft projects.

HGP Holiday Prep Week Three

2009-09-14T13:41:00.001-04:00

Well it's week three. Time to take care of the entry/foyer. My foyer is pretty small and there wasn't much to do since I had tackled that area weeks ago. This weekend I just swept and mopped the floor. Then I put up the fall decorations there and in the livingroom. Things are looking pretty good.

Now on to holiday prep.

This week the plans suggests

Make one batch of Holiday Goodies. I planned to make a Boston Cream cake with upcoming Sunday's dinner but may instead bake a few cookies. They won't be for the holidays though. LOL!
Make one extra meal for freezer again labeled HOLIDAY MEAL. So far I have two meals in the freezer - meatloaf and minced bbq. They will come in handy during December when I don't have time to cook. I can make sandwiches with those. Mmm, mmm, mmm!
Buy two canned food items from Menus (get 2 of each item, one to use and one to donate to food drive). I need to get started on this. I want to make sure I have less to purchase when the holidays drawer closer. I hate when I'm in the middle of cooking and I realize I'm missing an ingredient and have to run out to the nearby store and pay a fortune when if I had remembered, the cost would have been cheaper at my regular store.
Keep 2 boxes in a pantry area or storage place to put these in so that they are not used in everyday cooking - make sure to label them so that when food drives start your holiday supply stays intact and the food drive gets the food purchased for it.
Buy all supplies for homemade gifts. Package each project with directions and other information in zipper food storage bag and place in a basket or box in craft/sewing area.
Buy film, camera batteries, blank videotapes. Hide them; write yourself a note. I recently bought several packs rechargeable batteries for my digital camera. I need to purchase more DVD recordable disks for making movies to give to folks after the holidays. I always film everyone opening their gifts and just having fun. This year I want them to see how crazy the are. Hahaha

That's it for now. Happy planning!

HGP - Holiday Prep Week Two

2009-09-11T11:17:00.002-04:00

August 30th kick-started the Holiday Grand Plan at Organized Christmas. Week one was dedicated to the front porch. This is week two: The Livingroom.

In addition to cleaning our homes we are also prepping for the upcoming Holidays - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. So during each week we also take time to get things ready like creating gift lists, making a budget, planning menus, etc.

Week two is a little more challenging. For week two we're asked to answer questions like, what does the holidays mean to us, what traditions are important, etc. If you want to see more check out week two of the HGP.

Week two also suggests that we start stocking up the pantry with extra flour, sugar, etc. for the tons of baking some of us will be doing. I had a list of desserts I want to make but I have been finding other recipes I want to try so my list keeps changing. My goal this week will be to come to a final decision of what I will make. That's it. No more changes. One item I will definately be making are those delicious Oreo Balls. My family and co-workers absolutely love them. Just yesterday a co-worker was asking me about them. No kidding.

Patriot Day

2009-09-11T09:38:00.000-04:00

Today marks the 8th anniversary of the hits on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C, and the plane (United Flight 93) that crashed in Pennsylvania. In Honor of those precious lives lost, and those who were there helping, risking their lives to save others, I pay tribute.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Back In Business!

2009-09-11T09:11:00.000-04:00

Hooray! Magicial Holiday Home forums are back up and looking great. Let me tell you I and many others were going through withdrawals when the site went down last week. There has been lots of changes to the new forum. Check it out. Gingerbug, our wonderful creator has truly outdone herself. We over at MHH love her dearly.

Houston, We Have A Problem

2009-09-04T12:41:00.001-04:00

I'm am losing my mind. My favorite forum, Magical Holiday Home is experiencing some problems and I can't chat with my MHH family. What's a girl to do.

I'm off today (furloughed rather). I am going to take full advantage of this day. First, eat breakfast. After breakfast I will make more greeting card cd's to send out this year. Then I will continue working on my balcony. I'm getting it ready for autumn then soon after. Christmas.

I have been putting together weekly menus by looking through cookbooks and going on the internet for recipes. While doing so I have come across a lot of delicious looking desserts that I will like to try and maybe do round the holidays. This Sunday I will try my first new dessert - "Angel Lush Pineapple Cake". It's a recipe I found in a Kraft Food recipe book. I'll let you know how I made out.

Here We Go!

2009-08-30T18:27:00.000-04:00

I have been up since 5:30 this morning. I'm excited because today is the first day of the Holiday Grand Plan . This week is List/Front Porch week.

Because I have no front porch, this week is dedicated to the balcony.

Sweep the outdoor carpet
Wipe down patio furniture
Wipe down railing
Clean patio windows/doors

For the holiday prep part, I have the following lists:

Gift list
Christmas card list
Parties/Events
Menus for holiday breakfast and Christmas Eve family gatherings
Shopping list
Baking list
Crafts list

Oops!

2009-08-27T08:18:00.005-04:00

I've been playing around, trying to make my blog look more festive and I make a big oops. Somehow I managed to lose my ability to easily update the appearance of my blog (I clicked on something I shouldn't have). As a result, I lost my counter letting me see how many people visit my blog as well as a few other things.

I've been very busy since my last post. There have been tons of birthday and anniversary parties (I never realized there were so many summer babies in my family). We've also been taking mini vacations and day-trips.

Now, that's all behind me and I am fully and completely focused on the upcoming holidays. So check back September 1st when my real journey begins.

HGP

2009-08-02T10:54:00.000-04:00

The end of August kicks off the Holiday Grand Plan at Organized Christmas. I, however have decided to start early. My apartment is in desperate need of deep cleaning and I just can't take it anymore (heeheehee). So I made a list of cleaning supplies and will be heading to Walmart and Dollar Tree this week to do a little shopping.

If you're interested in getting your home cleaned and ready for Fall and the holidays, HGP may be the plan for you. Or, if your home is in need of only a little cleaning and you'd like to be better prepared for the holidays, then Holiday + Houseworks may be what you prefer. I have followed both plans and they are awsome.

While you are following the plans, take a visit over to Magical Holiday Home discussion forum where myself and other Christmas lovers tell of our progress.

Checking Out The Pantry

2009-08-02T10:31:00.001-04:00

I was reading a topic over at Organized Christmas, "Save Money: Beat the Holiday Grocery Game," when I decided to go through my kitchen cabinets to check the dates on spices and baking ingredients. I only had a few baking items that were expired and threw out. My spices were in great shape as I had just bought them during last year's holiday season. After checking everything, I added things that need replacing to my grocery list.

It's important to check your pantries for expired items. You don't want your delicious dishes and treats to be ruined and make you ill by using old ingredients.

Just thought you should know.

Gift Closet

2009-08-02T10:18:00.001-04:00

Recently I updated my list of gifts purchased and added them to my gift closet. A gift closet is an area where you keep all your gifts purchased for whatever occassion: birthdays, anniversaries and of course Christmas. Where the gift closet is set up is up to the individual. I use the spare closet in the guest bedroom hidden behind my summer wardrobe and noone suspects that they are there. Some people have clever ways of hidding there gifts from family snoops. Some people wrapped and tagged gifts in a way only they know so kids and spouses don't know which gift is theirs. Another person says she keeps her gifts in shopping bags hidden in her closet. Another person hides her gifts in suitcases.

To keep track of gifts I have purchasesd I use this Gift Closet form. Here's what's in my closet so far:

Pair of jeans and pullover sweater for my oldest nephew
Massaging/warmer foot slippers for SIL
2 half done movie baskets
5 pc glass candle holder set
3 pc candle set w/mirror tray
2 fleece bath wraps for a cousin
2 sets of pj's for a cousin
An outfit for sil's mother
An outfit and playstation game for a boy cousin
A few craft items for a kids basket
A 'baby's 1st Christmas' ornament

My goal is to have all presents purchased/made by the end of November. I have 47 people to shop for and looking at my gift closet list I better get a move on. I know it seems like a lot of people to shop for but believe me it is not expensive as it seems. You will see what I mean in later posts.

Grandmother's Jelly Cookies

2009-07-29T06:25:00.001-04:00

This is a recipie I found in a Better Homes and Garden Christmas cookie book I purchased several years ago. They were a big hit with the kids when I made them for a kids party once.

1 c butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
3 c all-purpose flower
1 slightly beaten egg white
Finely chopped almonds and/or pearl sugar or granulated sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup currant jelly

Lightly grease cookie sheets; set aside. In large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on med speed for 30 secs. Add sugar, beat well. Beat in egg. Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.

On lightly floured surface divide dough in half. Roll one half to 1/8 in thickness. Using a star shape cutter, cut into 2 1/2 in shapes. Roll out second half, cut with a 2 in. cookie cutter. Using a 3/4 or 1 in cutter, cut a circle from center of smaller shape star. Continue til all dough is used.

Brush top of 2 in. star shapes with egg white, sprinkle with almonds and/or pearl sugar or granulated sugar. Arrange all shapes on prepared cookie sheets, bake in 375 deg oven for 7 to 9 mins or til bottoms are light brown.

Transfer cookies to wire racks, let cool. Place a small amount of jelly in centers of 2 1/2 in. cookies. Top with 2 in. cookies, sugar side up, and press together, showing jelly in center. Makes 36 to 42 cookies.

Plans for the Foyer

2009-07-28T13:35:00.004-04:00

I have a small foyer and it too gets decorated. Just behind the front door there's a full length mirror with two topiary plants on either side. When the holidays arrive I wrap the plants with a strand of clear lights. Sometimes I like to add mini faux berries for a bit of color. From the mirror I hang a large bow. The coat closet gets decorated with a pair of these cute knitted socks.

Next to the front door stands a small side table stationed under a group of family photos. Each year the nativity usually sits on the table, but this year I will display my Christmas village. The village use to sit in a curio in the dining room. I got rid of the curio to make room for a new large buffet/side-table I am getting. From the ceiling I hang pre-lighted garland from the foyer and down the hall but I don't think I will do that this year. I plan to sparingly place tealight candles around the village to give it a nice glow.

Well that's it for the foyer. Up next...

More Decorating - Bathroom

2009-07-21T10:06:00.023-04:00

For the past 5 years I have decorated my bathroom with a poinsettia theme. I thought I had pictures that I could show you of my bathroom from last year but I can't find them on my computerThis year will be no different. However I am making some slight changes.

I have a small 12" white tree that I sit on top of the storage cabinet. I usually decorate it with faux berries and poinsettia garland. This year I am replacing the berries with red miniature glass ornaments. The garland will be dressed up a little by spraying gold glitter on the flowers.

The bath linen stays the same, large red towels with green and red novelty towels that spell "NOEL". The rugs are red and plush. So is the lid cover. I made my lid cover more festive by hotgluing poinsettias to it. This was also done on one of my red bath towels.

On the front of the bathroom door I hang a poinsettia wreath. I want to glam that up too by spraying gold glitter on the flowers.

I have a heavy duty red plastic shower curtain which is hung with homemade poinsettia curtain hooks. I cut poinsettias from a floral bush and hot glued them to plain white hooks. I love this curtain, I can wash it in the machine and let it drip dry before putting it away at the end of the holidays. This year though I want to change up with a different curtain...something soft. Although I said I wouldn't be buying anymore decorations this year I really want new curtains in the bathroom. As of yet I'm not sure what I want but I'll know when I see it.

Curtains are one of the easiest things to make. You can use any type of fabric. Just fold over the top edge to make an opening for the shower pole and sew. I'm no seamstress, but I can do that (hahaha). I've even made curtains from bed sheets. I don't like many of the shower curtains I see in stores so if I don't make my own I will buy window curtains/panels.

I'm getting off topic so I'll stop here. .

Holiday Labels - Part 2

2009-07-20T10:22:00.001-04:00

I don't know what happened. The link to my lables is no longer working. Anyway, after hours of trying to figure out what's wrong I gave up and came up with another solution. Here it is:

I borrowed a candy jar from my boss' office. (hahaha) The photo is of the bailiffs. A great bunch of guys.

And here's the rest:

As I said in the previous post, I need to go through pictures and choose which ones I would like to use.

Crab Stuffing

2009-07-19T14:08:00.002-04:00

1 bx corn muffin mix
4-8 tablespoons butter
1 lb crab meat
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups of chopped onions
dried parsley (if you use fresh parsley it's 1/4 - 1/2 cup; minced)
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning (optional)
1 cup chicken stock (I like to use the stock from the turkey)
2 large eggs, well beaten (optional)

Prepare mix then bake in oven according to instructions on box .

Meanwhile in a skillet melt butter, add celery and onions and sautee until tender. Remove from heat and stir in the spices.

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Add drained crab meat. Toss well until the stuffing is moist, but not packed together.

Stir in the stock and eggs, re-moisten and adjust spices as necessary.

Cooked in casserole dish at 350 until heated through with a crust on the outsides, 25 to 40 min.

I like to stuff my turkey with the dressing at least a 1/2 hour - 45 min before it's time for the turkey to be removed from the oven so that the stuffing gets some of the juices which really makes it taste 'o so good.

Homemade Labels

2009-07-17T20:05:00.000-04:00

The other day I spent some time printing labels for my upcoming birthday bash. It was an idea my bestfriend sugggested. She thought it would be cool to add personal labels to 2 liter soda bottles. So I made 10, each with a different picture of me.

I thought this would be a great idea to do at Christmas too. Here's what I have so far. Now I just need to go through what seems like millions of photos on my home computer and select which family photos I want to use. The first label has a sample. It is a picture of the bailiffs in the courthouse where I work.

I used whole sheet label paper (8 1/2 x 11), making 2 labels per sheet (I wanted them large). Next I'll cut the sheets in half, remove the brand label from 2 liter bottle(optional) and apply my personal label. And then I'm done!

Unfortunately I don't have any 2 liter bottles on hand to show the end result.

Baked Crab Rangoo

2009-07-14T16:00:00.000-04:00

I lovvvve seafood! I can eat crabs, shrimp, fish(trout) and lobster on a regular basis if I could afford it. Last year (or maybe the year before that) I was hunting for something different using crabmeat to add to my holiday menu when I came across this recipe in KraftFoods magazine.

Ingredients:
1 can crab meat (I prefer lump)
4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
24 Won ton wrappers

Preheat oven to 350 deg.
Spray a 24 cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray, then place 1 won ton wrapper in each cup. Allow edges of wrappers to extend above sides of cups.
Fill won tons with mixture.
Bake in oven 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and filling is heated through.
Serve warm. Garnish with chopped green onions (optional).

I made it once and they were well received. I doubled the recipe for a large group. Also I only used the green onions as a topping.

Decor Plans - Balcony

2009-07-13T11:03:00.003-04:00

While sitting on the boardwalk in Atlantic City Saturday I got to thinking about decorating my balcony for the holidays. Every year I hang clear lights mixed with garland along the rail with a small wreath in the center. Then along the rooftop I hang clear icicle lights. Last year I switched to multi-color lights and I loved it and plan to use them again this year. It's a nice change as I've been using the clear lights for the last eight years. I'm sure I'll go back to the clear lights again when I'm ready to revert.

Earlier this year I decorated this 43" wreath for the balcony. It will replace the smaller one I had been using which to be honest has seen better days.

The wreath was on clearance for $8 at Michaels. The ornaments (by Martha Stewart - also clearance), I bought at KMart dirt cheap. The ribbon and picks were also bought at Michaels. In all the total project was $18.

As for the rest of the area. I will have a small tree sitting in a corner on top of a small table. The decorations are similar to the new wreath with glittered deer and pine cone ornaments added. I like to hang two very large red velvet bows at the windows on either side of the patio doors. I also have clear lights framing the patio windows. My little bistro table is covered with a vinyl Christmas tablecloth. I like it to look festive out their for my guests who like to take smoke breaks.

More to come.

Everyone's In The Spirit

2009-07-10T14:33:00.007-04:00

If you look over to the left side of my blog I have updated my list of friends from Magical Holiday Home who also prepare for the holiday season all year. Hope you hop over to take a peak. These ladies are awesome. I have learned and continue to learn a lot from them. They are so helpful and encouraging to oneanother.

Keep checking back regularly as you will see this list grow, and grow and grow and....

Happy CIJ - July 10th

2009-07-10T07:46:00.020-04:00

Well it's Friday and I for one am glad. It's been a very long week.

I've been working on my menu for our Christmas Eve family gathering. Every year I try to serve something different from the previoys year. I never do turkey because my family is usually good and sick of it from the Thanksgiving holiday. (LOL!)

So here's what I've decided on:

Saucey country ribs (I got this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. I will use beef ribs instead of pork though.)
Honey baked spiral ham
Wingette platter (three different flavors)
Collard greens
Macaroni & cheese
Deviled eggs
Cesar salad
Seafood salad
Potato salad
Fresh baked rolls

Appetizers:

BLT dip (A recipe I got from Cathymac, a fellow MHHer)
Baked crab rangoo

Desserts:

Holiday cake shaped like a snowman
Homemade cookies
Oreo Balls

My best friend doesn't know it yet but she is going to do my snowman cake (LOL!) She's been taking baking lessons and is doing very well.

Last night while playing on the computer, I had an idea. This years invitations will be in the form of a CD/DVD. My plan is to put together a slideshow of photos from past Christmases set to a Christmas song. Then at the end of the slideshow will be the information inviting them to this year’s Christmas Eve dinner. I think that everyone will enjoy getting the cd. Plus they will have the memories. I’m pretty excited about this myself. Now I just need to decide on a clever label for the cover. TTFN!

Great Finds

2009-07-09T08:48:00.000-04:00

I'm back from Walmart. Boy I tell you what, these retailers are not playing. Walmart has several isles of back-to-school supplies and the parents were stocking up, getting their kids ready.

After leaving Walmart I stopped in my favorite store, Dollar Tree. I hit the jackpot for storage items. I picked up several canvas storage cubes for my dresser drawers and closet shelves. I couldn't belive it. They also had the over-the-door storage unit which I should have bought but didn't think I needed it. Now that I'm back home I could use it to hold craft supplies. So I'll be going back but not today. It is hot as the dickens outside and will be this way for at least into next week. I will venture out again tomorrow morning when it's more bearable.

CIJ - July 9th

2009-07-09T07:54:00.006-04:00

The weather has been extremely cool the last two mornings/nights. One would think it's fall instead of summer. With these cool temps I'm feeling more anxious for the holidays to get here. The weather also has me thinking about hosting breakfast in early December. I would get to have my family altogether twice in one month instead of the one time (which is Christmas Eve).

Here's The Plan

Decide on a date
Create guest list
Create and print invitations
Decide on a menu
Come up with some cute 'favors' for guests to take home

I will keep you posted.

And The Winner Is...

2009-07-09T07:35:00.007-04:00

Me! That's right I won the weekly giveaway over at printerdevil's blog "Christmas Memories In My Heart". Boy was I surprised 2:00 am this morning when I checked in over at MHH. That was when I finally got a chance to catch up on what everyone over there was doing before going to sleep. I was up printing t-shirt iron-ons (among other things) to attach to a plain white shower curtain in preparation for my Birthday Bash coming up the end of this month. I won a cute silver sleigh basket filled with bath and body items. I can't wait to receive it, but I won't open it til Christmas, so in my huge Christmas stocking it will go.

Light Construction

2009-07-06T13:14:00.005-04:00

You're probably wondering what's going on with my blog. I'm tinkering around with the colors in an attempt to make it look festive. Many of my fellow MHHers have the most beautiful blogs. I'll keep at it until it's perfect.

Decorating - Front Door Area

2009-07-06T11:58:00.012-04:00

I live in an apartment but that doesn't stop me from decorating outside my front door. (Hahaha). I always cover my door with metallic wrapping paper made especially for doors. I get them at KMart. Unfortunately they only come in gold, green, or red. One roll covers the entire door. Last year was the first time I covered the door with the green paper and I think it's the color I'll use from now on (I usually use red). I really loved how the wreath looked against the green. For my wreath I took a pre-lit wreath I got on clearance at Big Lots and added red birds and a few ornaments. For an added touch I'm adding a nice red plaid bow to it.

I usually just drape lights around the door with some holly, but this year it will be several types of garland. On clearance last year at Michael's and AC Moore I bought pine garland, berry garland, pine cone garland and gold twig picks and put them altogether to make it really thick and luscious.

Instead of the 4ft lighted wire tree sitting outside my door I am going to sit my little red rocking chair out there and fill it with a few Christmas bears holding a Happy Holidays! sign or a book. I usually dress up the stair bannister too with lights and holly...will be adding garland to that.

More to come so stay tune.