Holiday Meme

Oh, Barb also had a Holiday Meme she found while visiting Katrina at Callapidder Days.

HOLIDAY MEME

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Definitely Hot Chocolate!

2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just set them under the tree? Santa has done both. When the kids were young Santa would wrap most of them except a large gift or two. If it was a Christmas with not much money, they would all be wrapped, so that they would feel they had received more and it took longer to get through the gifts.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I prefer white but Jim likes the colored, so that it was we have done the last several years. But I don't know for sure what I will do this year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? I have in the past, but it's been several years ago. So no, I don't normally.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Never before Dec 1st! Sometimes the first weekend of Dec but usually the 2nd weekend. I ALWAYS take them down the day after Christmas. I always had the day off and I was ready for things to get back to normal.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish, excluding dessert? I'm not sure I have one favorite. I really like Pistachio Salad during the holidays.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Several come to mind actually.....there was the time my brother and I woke up during the night and my mom wasn't in bed yet so he convinced me to go to the kitchen for a drink of water and see what was going on. I headed in that direction and seen clothes draped over the couch, his electric guitar and amp....and I got scared and ran back to the room.
Naturally as I child I would sneak around to see if I could find the hidden presents. One year I found my first talking doll hidden in my great-grandma closet. And another year I found my Barbie doll case hidden in my grandma' closet and I would go in there everyday and smell the case. For some reason it smelled good to me, the vinyl I guess.
The hard part was acting totally surprised on Christmas morning!! LOL

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I honestly don't remember when I found out. I'm sure my brother told me first, but I probably wouldn't believe him.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes! That is a tradition since I was a young child and one I passed on to my kids. Of course we couldn't choose the biggest gift.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I usually have several trees decorated. We have a 12' tree that we usually put up, then I have a 6' tree for the upstairs balcony and several smaller ones throughout the house. On the two main trees I put the lights on first, then I decide what color of Christmas balls I'm going to use. Sometimes the 6' tree has gold and clear balls and decorations. Sometimes I use only pastel balls that I have. Usually the 12' tree is decorated with older Christmas balls that belonged to my mother, some wooden ornaments that the kids painted when they were young, some gold metal figures that belonged to my grandmother. Then I add the candy canes and if I decide to use icicles I put them on last.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I spent over 25 years in Illinois, so now that I am in Arkansas I do not look forward to it. Oh, it's nice on Christmas morning to have just enough to cover the ground and make snow ice cream, as long as it would melt the next day. Or if my daughter-in-law is here from Georgia. But other than that....I don't need it.

12. Can you ice skate? When I was in high school, but I don't know if I still can. I prefer roller skates, not a single blade.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? One specific gift doesn't come to mind. I know I love all the Barbie dolls and accessories I got, plus my talking doll, and Tiny Tears, the Sno-Cone machine, the doll whose hair you could style (it was a large doll, actually it was just from below the shoulders up, but it was like human size), the monkey handle bars for my bike. That's a start anyway.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you? Being with family, and helping others less fortunate.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I enjoy the candy (i.e. fudge, divinity, christmas cookies, etc.), because we don't prepare it any other time of the year. I guess pumpkin pie would be my favorite as far as a dessert goes.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I enjoy the opening of one gift on Christmas Eve. I get the final decision in which one they get to open and seeing the anticipation they have when they THINK they get to open any one they want.

17. What tops your tree? For years I had a gold star with glitter on it that my oldest made when he first started school. I wanted to replace it several years ago but I could never find just the right angel for it. Then a couple of years before my mom passed away she had bought herself and me a pretty angel for our trees. So it is very precious to me. It isn't anything fancy, but I love it for the obvious reasons.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Giving. I could sit all day and watch others open gifts. I wish I had an endless supply of money to buy and give to others...strangers, but those in my family who
have needs too.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem or It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.

20. Candy Canes! Yuk or Yum? I used to like peppermint but I don't care for it much anymore, so I would say Yuk.

What Time of Day Are You?

I was visiting Barb over at A Chelsea Morning and she had seen this "What Time of Day Are You" meme on Shalee's Diner' blog so I decided to see what time of day I was.

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Fridays Feast - One Hundred Nineteen

I don't know who to give credit to for this lovely banner. I saw it on another blogger, but no credit was given there. If it belongs to you, please let me know!


APPETIZER: Have you ever changed a flat tire by yourself?

Only during drivers education in high school.


SOUP: Do you have an "innie" or an "outie" belly button?

Innie


SALAD: Name a new paint color and describe it.


Are you kidding!! I have enough trouble deciding on colors now, adding another would just put me over the edge!


MAIN COURSE: What is your favorite holiday tradition?


I don't know that it is any specific one, but the combination of them all. But without the family and friends none of the others would matter.


DESSERT: If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be, and why?

One year Kyle accidentally (mixed two recipes) made these chocolate cookies with chocolate chips in them. I would want to be one of them because they are full of chocolate and ALMOST (excluding Barb & Bev) everyone loves chocolate!



Are you ready to prepare your meal? Click right over to Fridays Feast and cook something up!

Marshmallow Treats

Last night I prepared these Marshmallow Treats that my mother use to make for us when I was young. I normally use large marshmallows but all I had was small ones.

Take amount of saltine crackers you desire, slice cheese to fit cracker,(I usually buy sliced cheese and fold it in half, then half again, to get 4 pieces) top with large marshmallow. Bake in oven till marshmallow softens and cheese is melted. Marshmallow should be a little brown.



I know the combination sounds peculiar but it really does taste good.....well to me anyway....and my kids have always liked them.

I have done them in the microwave but the cheese melts so much more than the marshmallow. I would use the oven the first time you make them.

Children's Nativity Set

I purchased this adorable nativity set for each of my young grandchildren and thought some of ya'll may like to purchase it as well. It is designed for children in mind and I thought it would be another great way for a parent to interact with the child in explaining the birth of Jesus.

This is available from Collections etc.

Because of copyrights I wasn't able to include the picture. But this figures really are adorable and while they aren't too big they are large enough for small fingers to hold on to. The coloring is adorable. What I have ordered from this company has been shipped and received within a couple of days.


Child's Nativity Set - Item # 10334

This adorable nativity set is the perfect way for kids to celebrate the season. Set includes all 12 pieces, and is finely reproduced in vinyl, so it's unbreakable and safe for kids. Hand painted. Largest piece measures 4 1/2"H x 2"W x 2"D. Price: $14.99

Fridays Feast - One Hundred Eighteen

Banner by My Place


Appetizer: Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets?

Not really, but it does raise a lot of curiosity.


Soup: What is one thing you said you'd never do, but you eventually did?

Be like my mother, but over the years I found myself doing things more and more like her.


Salad: Who is the teacher that influenced you the most in school?

My business teacher, Mrs. Smith.


Main Course: If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be and why?

Faith Hill. I could sing "beautiful" praises unto the Lord and minister in song, look beautiful and be skinny all at once.


Dessert: What is your favorite dish to prepare?

Since chocolate gravy and biscuits may not be considered a "dish", I will have to say a roast with carrots and potatoes. I like it because its easy and you can smell it cooking for hours.



If you would like to serve this meal or just want to check out some other cooks, go to Fridays Feast

BooMama is Hosting a Christmas Tour of Homes!!

Deck the hall's with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Woohoo!!!!

BooMama is hosting a Christmas Tour of Homes!!
This exciting event is scheduled for December 15th.
So don't wait til the last minute this year to decorate
for the holidays. Get that tree up, wrap those gifts,
display those snowmen, pines, candles, etc. Enjoy!!

All those wishing to participate please go here for more information.

This morning!

This is what was going on around our house this morning!








I stepped out of the house to get something from the truck and look what landed.





What a wonderful way to start the morning!!

If it can be this beautiful here, can you imagine what heaven will be like!

Hmmmm....interesting.

I was over visiting Gibee at Kisses of Sunshine to hear all about the trip to Dallas to meet other fellow bloggers and she had this Personality Test posted. So I participated and found the results.....let's say...interesting...or amazingly true on some of it!

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have low extroversion. You are quiet and reserved in most social situations. A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you. You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people. Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is medium. You are generally broad minded when it come to new things. But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it. You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

The Five Factor Personality Test

FRIDAYS FEAST - Restocking the Pantry

Restocking the Pantry

I went to get my menu for the Fridays Feast, only to discover the chef is on vacation!! But that's not all......



There's some exciting stuff going on here in the kitchen at Friday's Feast!

The chef of Fridays Feast will be on vacation until November 17th. Please don't cry; your tears might fall into the soup and make it too salty. ;)

From 11/1/06 to 11/17/06, we are running a contest to replenish our stock of questions. Here's how it will work:

-- Send an email to fridaysfeast@gmail.com with at least 3 unique, original questions. (Please do not send questions that you find on other memes or in books. The best questions are the ones you make up yourself!)

-- For each group of 3 original questions you send, your name will be entered once into a drawing to win a $25 Amazon.com Gift Code! (So if you send 30 questions, your name will be entered 10 times.) Your questions will be used in future Feasts. (If you win the contest, but are unable to use Amazon.com Gift Codes, I can send you $25 via PayPal or mail.)

-- Please spread the word and post about this contest on your blog! I'd love to have lots of participation in this contest (because it's fun and it will help me out, too!).

-- All entries should be emailed by 10:00PM EST on Thursday 11/16/06. At midnight on Friday, November 17th, there will be a brand new Feast, and the winner of the gift code will be announced.

I want to thank every single one of you for making the Friday's Feast a success over the years. I've said it before, but I really mean it. This is just as much fun for me as I hope it is for you!

Thursday Thirteen #7

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Thirteen Ingredient Entree



         Sopa De Fideo


1. 2 tblspns vegetable oil or shortening

2. 1 lb. lean ground beef

3. 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, not drained

4. 1 12 oz. can whole kernel corn

5. 2 tsp salt

6. 1 tsp chili powder

7. 1 8 oz. pkg sliced American cheese (optional)

8. 1/2 cup uncooked vermicelli, broken

9. 2 cups thin sliced onion

10. 2 cups thin sliced celery

11. 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper

12. 1-1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic

13. 1 tsp pepper


In a 11-12 in. skillet (I use an electric skillet), heat oil over moderately high heat. Cook meat, add vermicelli and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add all remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir well to mix. Cover and cook on simmer until vegetables are crisp tender. Remove from heat and add cheese slices. Cover and let cheese melt.


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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New Kitchen

This was my kitchen before.















As some of you know I decided to repaint my kitchen a couple of weeks ago.
I had thought I would paint it a color named "Red Gumball". It was a pretty shade of red. But in spite of some of you voting for the red, I decided against it. Mainly because I have several full walls and I was afraid it would be too overbearing. If I had a smaller galley type kitchen broken up by cabinets, I think I would have gone for it.





However, I decided to go with Light Sage.








I wasn't sure about the full curtains but I think I'm going to like it and it seems to give the kitchen a warmer feeling. I'm also going to paint the legs of my table the same color as the trim...off white.



The bookcase was my mothers and a darker wood than most of my furniture. But since I moved these darker framed pictures over here I decided to use the bookcase and store my cookbooks in it as well as display some of my crock bowls.
I had purchased the plate rack several months ago for another project but ended up buying a different style for that. So I decided to use the other one here, so now I have to buy some plates to display in it.





We do still have a few things left to do, like painting some more trim, hanging the blind over the sink, etc.

Movin' on to the next room!!!