MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Time for the new installment of Making a Happy Home Monday.

The point of this blog carnival is to encourage and inspire women to chose something in their home to make it a happier home. This is easily done. You can sweep the cobwebs off the light-fixture, vacuum under the edge of the couch or do a paint touch-up on that wall that has been driving you crazy.

The fact is, it doesn't have to be a huge project. If it makes you feel better to have it done, then you have made a happier home.

I would love for you to join me, and some others, in doing this. Just leave a note on Mr. Linky. Then I, and hopefully the others, will pop on over and leave some comment love!

Won't you join me?

For my Make a Happy Home Monday, I focused on the dining room again.

Do you remember the dining room? I had some ugly walls....Hubby redid them and now I have pretty walls.

Well, Wednesday, Hubby took me to Garden Ridge and bought me some pretties for the wall.

Here they are!

THE DAY AFTER

Before I go too far, I wanted to share the turkey recipe that I did. It was good and moist. I did kind of freak though. It was done in 3 hours. I'm so used to roasting large turkeys...and taking 4-5 hours, that the 3 hour process was a bit disconcerting. I took the temp a few times before I was convinced that it was safe. HA HA!


So here is the recipe for:


APPLE-HERB ROASTED TURKEY


1 14-15 pound turkey
1/4 cup minced, fresh rosemary
1/4 cup minced, fresh sage
1 apple, cut into quarters (cored)
1 rib celery, cut in half
1 onion, cut in half
1/2 cup butter, very soft


I heated my oven to 350.


First, I removed the neck and the innards for gravy. I then rinsed the turkey, inside and out, and patted dry with paper towel.


I gently loosened the skin and put my herbs (which I had combined) under the skin. (My "gentleness" wasn't gentle enough. Where it tore, I just "sewed" it together with toothpicks.)


I stuffed the bird with the apple, celery and onion. Then, I used the entire 1/2 cup butter and spread it on the entire bird.


I put it in the oven....3 hours later, it was done. I let it rest for about 1-1/2 hours. It was perfect.







SO, after dinner, we got the kitchen cleaned up. It didn't really take that long, considering how much food we had. We sat down and listened to a guitar/piano concert that my 2 oldest boys had planned. It was really good. They played 4 solos each, then ended with a duet. (Really good, considering that I didn't really have anything to do with it.)


After, we settled for some dessert and football.


My folks left about 5:30. Then the work really started. We got everything out of the attic. We got our Christmas tree out. I got all my Christmas books and my Nativities. (I collect those.) My mother gave me a new one this year....saved my hubby from having to buy the new one ;)


Of course, I have been in the holiday spirit for about 2 months now, but I haven't totally planned my Christmas....NOW it is time. On the slate are: organizing 2 parties for school, planning a cookie swap, helping with an ornament exchange, finishing up my cards, wrapping all the gifts, finishing my shopping and planning/baking all the candies and cookies that I want to do this year. I can't believe the holidays are almost over and I still have so much to do.


Hmmmmmm......I should get busy. LATER!

TURKEY TROUBLES

Have you checked your turkey? Is it still frozen?

DON'T PANIC!

I checked my bird and there are parts that are still frozen enough that I know I will have an icy cavity in the morning. SO, I'm doing a water bath.

I have the turkey sitting in the sink in cold water. I will change the water every 1/2 hour or so until I go to bed. Do not use hot water, else bacteria will begin to spread. Just keep changing out the water (to keep it cold) and then put it back in the fridge. I will cook as normal in the morning.

I am doing an apple and herb roasted turkey. I will put up the recipe if I like it...this is a new one for me.

If you need to 411 on cooking your bird, read this.

Some other resources you can use: http://www.butterball.com/

or you can all 1-800-Butterball

Happy Roasting.

I hope you and your family have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.


Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

STOLEN!!!

Ok....I stole this from a blogger-bud, Lisa, and I would normally, feel guilty....yeah, right....no I wouldn't. And I don't now, especially since she "borrowed" it from her blogger-bud.

I had never heard of these guys...but this video is so fun! Check it out!!!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

My blogger friend, Lisa, and her sister Lana, host this blog carnival. It is a lot of fun....pop on over and join us! Be sure to check out this week AND the last few weeks...people are pulling out their holiday best.

For today's TMTT, I'm going to do Deviled Eggs. I didn't have this on my menu. It is kind of an afterthought....it usually is.

First....let's talk about the hard-boiled egg. There is an art to it. If you don't boil them for the correct amount of time, you can end up with the grayish-green layer on the yolk. You can eat this....but it's just not as pretty as the creamy color of the yellow. (You do need to remember, though, that different yolks CAN have different colors, depending on how the hen was raised. These can range from a pale yellow to almost a greenish or blue-ish tint.....some are even orange, in comparison.)

To make hard-cooked eggs:

Put your eggs into a saucepan that is large enough to keep your eggs in one layer. Fill the pan with enough cool water so that it comes 1 inch over the eggs. Add about 1 tbsp. salt to water.* Cover and place over high heat.....bring to a full boil.

*salt does nothing to the outcome of the eggs, but if the eggs crack during boiling, the salt will prevent the white from running out a lot

Remove pan from heat, keep covered and set aside for 15 minutes. when time is up, pour off most of the water, add some ice and then run cold water into the pan. You need to cool the eggs quickly to room temperature.

Now this is where personal preference comes in. Some people crack and roll in their palms to break up the shell. I pour out the cool water and slosh the eggs around in the pan to crack them. I then peel them under running water. (The fresher the egg, the harder they are to peel. It's usually not a procedural issue, if you have "ugly" peeled eggs. These are great for a "quality check" when you are filling them. =) )

DEVILED EGGS

(this recipe is for the classic deviled egg....this recipe is EASILY multiplied)

Ingredients:

6 large, hard-cooked eggs - cut in half length-wise, yolks put into a bowl and white set aside for filling

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp salt

a few dashes of hot red pepper sauce (to taste)

Mix yolks, with all other ingredients, until smooth and creamy. Spoon filling into whites. If you want it pretty, you can use a pastry bag and star-shaped tip.

Personally, I just use:

yolks, a bit of miracle whip, a squirt of mustard, salt and pepper

Here are some other things you can do:

Ginger Eggs (shallot, mayo, minced fresh ginger, chili paste, salt)

Curried Eggs (mayo, dry mustard, curry powder, lemon juice salt)

Wasabi Eggs (mayo, wasabi paste, soy sauce)

French Onion Dip Eggs (sour cream, mayo, chives, onion powder, salt)

Cocktail Sauce Eggs (ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, salt and some hot red pepper sauce)

Southwestern Eggs (mayo, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, salt)

Quiche Lorraine Eggs (bacon crumbles...tiny bits, sour cream, scallions....green part only, black pepper)

If you would like the actual break down for one of these other recipes, let me know and I'll post the measurements.

Hope y'all have a great Thanksgiving Feast! Thanks for reading!!!

ALMOST THERE....

OK, y'all. We are almost there for turkey-time! Are you excited? I sure am.

What did you do today? It doesn't really matter, as long as something was done to assist you for the day on Thursday.

Today, I looked at my menu to decide what I'll need to do tomorrow. The steam cleaning of the carpets didn't happen tonight. Tomorrow night, they won't happen because hubby and I are going to see Twilight. I'll steam on Wednesday.

Tomorrow, I have a list of things....that I will post tomorrow :)

A question came up today, from one of my dear friends (who happens to read). I thought I would address it here.

How do you cook a lot of dishes when you only have one oven?

Well, it takes thinking and planning, but it really isn't hard.

First off, when your turkey has reached temperature (about 165 in the thickest part of the thigh) then you can take it out of the oven. The residual heating will bring it up 5-10 degrees making it perfect. Also, the meat needs to rest so that the juices may redistribute throughout the meat. Put the turkey on the counter and tent with foil. Your bird can sit for 30-90 minutes. SO.....plan to have one hour of a turkey-free oven that you can use.

Also, plan your dishes/casseroles so that the items that need to be fresh, come out of the oven last. Bread is what I'm thinking of. My casseroles will be made ahead of time (cooked, but not baked). So, anytime the oven is free, I can heat these through, remove, cover with foil and leave on the stove top to catch the heat through the oven top.

The sides of the dishes can touch or have little space around if the food is already cooked. If you are baking something (like a cake, cookies or bread) you really need enough space around so that the air circulates evenly...otherwise, you have uneven baking.

Don't forget your crockpot! This is awesome for something like green beans, corn on the cob or mashed potatoes!

Also, you CAN microwave things without adversely affecting the outcome of the dish....as long as it is not able to get dry. Things like prepared mashed potatoes.....put a pat or 2 of butter on the top, cover with Saran and nuke away. (Yes, I've read what plastics in the microwave can do, but really? That's why I pray for my food. I don't worry about it.)

Shoot, it's close enough to to tomorrow. Let me go ahead and list what I PLAN to get done (before the movie, of course).

I need to set out pork chops for my red chili. I need to go ahead and bake my corn bread and biscuits to get them drying for my dressing. I need to consider and outline my bake/prep times of each dish so that I know when things need to be started and how long/what temp to bake.

I think I will buy some sweet tea from CFA! (In honor of some darn-good fowl.) I also need to get milk....not that I need it for Thursday's meal, but as we go through at least 1 gallon/day...I need to be sure we don't run out when the stores are closed.

I also need to clear out my own freezer to get ready for some leftovers.

I need to do laundry....badly. Our heating element in the dryer went out the other day....so I'm behind. Anyway, since DH will be leaving the morning after Thanksgiving, I need to be sure that he is flying around in clean BVD's. =)

Well, that's all for now. I'll be back soon.

DON'T PANIC!!!

IT'S GOING TO BE OK!!!

OVER THE RIVER.....AGAIN

It's Sunday night.....do YOU know where your turkey is?

Mine has been moved from the deep freeze to the refrigerator. Remember, you need 24 hours for every 5 pounds. Even if you have a small bird, I would go ahead and pull it out of the freezer by tomorrow.

I'll be steam cleaning the carpets either tomorrow or Tuesday. (Or I'll sweet talk my hubby to.) Time to pay attention to the ceiling fans and light fixtures, as well. I will also work on spot removal on my couch....gotta love microfiber!

Another good thing to do (especially if you have NOT gone shopping yet) is to clear out your fridge and freezer. You will have leftovers to deal with.

Speaking of leftovers: make sure you have the necessary containers for the leftovers. It is really nice to have some of the disposable containers that you can send home with guests...especially if you aren't big on leftovers.

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, guys. It's that time of the week again. I hope you will join me for Making a Happy Home Monday. The premise behind this blog carnival that I host is easy. I hope to encourage or inspire other women to pick an area of their homes and make it happier. You either make it a prettier space, a cleaner space or a more functional space.

It doesn't have to take long time. It can be as simple as sweeping off your front porch or as big as the project that I'm going to post about. If you choose to join me (and I really hope you will), I need you to link up on Mr. Linky. The link that you connect to needs to refer back to this post. Any post not referring back here will be deleted.

For my entry of Making a Happy Home Monday, I'm going to show off my hubby's hard work in our dining room.

Do you remember this? This post contains several pictures of my kiddos coloring on the walls of the dining room. And if you knew, or could tell, how cruddy the wall paper was, then you knew that the coloring is actually an improvement. During my hubby's last vacation, he was able to strip the paper and paint. Here is the final product. Pretty, huh? I don't have curtains because we are about to get all of our windows replaced.

OVER THE RIVER

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS

It's that time, guys. We are ONE WEEK OUT! So much to do! Are you ready?

Here are some things that can be taken care of between now and Sunday. Starting Monday, I will give a daily "to-do" Thanksgiving preparation list.

Your menu should be settled, but if it's not, go ahead and do that. Also assign foods to whomever might want to help out. Good "travelling" dishes include desserts, side dishes and breads.

Make sure you have your seating settled....do you need to bring in some extra tables and chairs? Also, make sure you have a roasting pan that is big enough for your bird. Double check silverware, glassware, dishes and any serving items you might need.*

*Now, Martha would NEVER approve, but I will throw it out there anyway. Paper is OK. Really, it is. If you don't have enough plates, or you are with family or friends whom you just don't see enough, then pass up on all the dishes....you will have tons to deal with from the meal preparation alone. If you DO use paper/plastic, please throw away when they are used. (You laugh, but years ago, a Thanksgiving feast for my family saw us all reminding the new family members to break the plastic ware, poke holes in the plates and take a bite out of the styrofoam cups.)

There are a few things you can prep now: a relish and your gravy will freeze well. Personally, I do my cranberry stuff the day before or the day of. The gravy will be prepped on the day of, in my house.

Make your final grocery list...don't forget things like coffee, creamer, ice and snack stuff (nuts, cheese platter). Keep in mind that there may be a few things you need to buy the day before. However, your turkey needs to be purchased now. :D

TURKEY.....To thaw your turkey, you need 24 hours per 5 pounds. A 15 pound turkey? Put it in the fridge on Monday morning. 20 pounds, Sunday morning...count up from there, depending on the size of your bird. Haven't gotten your turkey yet? ACK!! OK...don't panic....that is your assignment for tomorrow.

Housekeeping: go ahead and do your major cleaning (deep cleaning) paying special attention to the areas where guests will be. Yes, I know you will be busy running around and cleaning up the day before guests arrive, BUT you want the hard stuff done so you only have to spot clean the high traffic areas.

I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow or the next day. And, I'll certainly post my Making a Happy Home Monday. Monday is when I will start with some daily reminders/tips. Use what you can.

A new blogging buddy of mine, Jamey, has given me some fun awards.

THANKS!

Now, let's see what I can do with these.

Now, here are the *rules* that go along with this award:

1. Put the award up on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you

3. Nominate at least seven other blogs

4. Add links to these blogs on your blog

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog

My nominees are:

Absolutely His

everydaygrace

Black Tie Optional

Let's Make a Memory

Making This Home

One-Hip-Mom

Splendid Imperfections

Here are the rules for this one:

*Mention the blog that gave it to you and comment on their blog to let them know you’ve posted your award.

*Publish these rules.

*Share 6 values that are important to you and 6 things you do not support.

*Grant the prize to 6 people.

6 things that are important to me:

~My faith

~My family

~Honesty

~Being a Godly wife and mother

~Making sure my kids grow up to follow God

~Integrity

6 things I'm against (I'll bet there are many of you waiting to pounce on this)

~People who ask for help (when they seem unwilling to help themselves)

~Laundry (I'm going to start a foundation. M.A.L. - Mothers Against Laundry)
*boy, do you know how hard it is to pick things without making people mad?*

Dishonesty

trash t.v.

gel toothpaste

long fingernails on males

NOW, for my nominees:

Renewed in Him

Hunanspice

Tollesons4him

Miss Paula in Stitches

Blessed with Grace

Lanarightnow

All these women have been put into my life for a reason, and I thank God for them!

THE JERSEY

So, Erica commented on my photo noting that my #4 was no longer wearing his soccer jersey. Funny thing....this was actually going to be my next post, THIS post.

So after Halloween we thought (hoped) that the jersey would be forgotten. It wasn't. It was not forgotten until about 2 weeks ago. (note the date on the photo) He wore the jersey for seven weeks and 3 days. He got it wet (while the other was in the laundry) and HAD to take it off.

It was during the laundry time that he discovered another article of clothing to fixate on.....the "Scooby Doo Swim SOUP!" He wore it until 3 days ago.

What happened 3 days ago? The "soup" got wet and needed immediate laundering. What did he find to wear?

You guessed it!

THE SOCCER JERSEY!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

I KNOW! I KNOW!

I'm late AGAIN! But I have a good reason.

First off, I NEEDED to do my shopping for next week. I hate going out a day or 2 before the actual day. SO, I left this morning, worked out at the Y, ate breakfast, went over my list and Qs....started shopping at 11:15 a.m.....several hours and several hundred dollars later, I have my food for the rest of this week and all of next done AND I have 80% of my Christmas shopping done. :D

SO, my blogger friend, Lisa, hosts this blog carnival. It is really a lot of fun. So many recipes, tips and ideas. I hope you will come join us!

This recipe is not on my Thanksgiving menu. It usually is a "morning after" breakfast that I make. I don't know if you like them like I do, but I'm a:

HUGE FAN OF THE CRAN!!!!

CRANBERRIES AND BISCUITS

ingredients:

fresh cranberries

sugar (about 1/2-3/4 cup)

water

fresh, hot biscuits

directions:

sort through the cranberries (toss out the bruised or shriveled berries)

put berries into saucepan

add just enough water to come to top of berries

bring to a boil...they will begin to pop

when they start to pop, add sugar (to taste...cranberries are very tart)

reduce down to the thickness you desire

Some people like to strain these to keep the jelly-like sauce. I like the whole berry.

This is SOOOO yummy! Serve hot sauce over hot biscuits.

ENJOY!

I hope you will join me on Monday for "Making a Happy Home Monday!"

I'M SO STINKIN' HAPPY!!!

So after DAILY checking the radio my station FINALLY switched to their 24/7 Christmas music. (By daily...I started checking November 1st.)

If you are in the DFW metro-area, go to 103.7

http://www.1037litefm.com/

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, y'all. It's that time of the week again. Time for me to do something, 3 of you to join me and the rest to read, criticize or whatever. LOL! (I'm not bitter, really. I am TOTALLY thankful for the 3 who do join me. Thanks!)

So I started this *little* blog carnival called "Making a Happy Home Monday." The idea is simple...you take one area of your home and make it better. How? You make it more functional or just prettier. In doing this, you do make your home a happier home. The goal is to have women come together and link up down below (on Mr. Linky) and take us into your home, via your blog. You can either tell us the details or you can put up pictures. The purpose of all this is two-fold: 1) it gets you into doing something positive around the house and 2) it encourages and inspires others to accomplish #1. :D Please join me.

This post is about my cards. I sat down to make my Christmas cards. I have some before and after pics. If you will scroll down, you will see the disaster!

OK. Yes...I do know that these are not Christmas cards. However, it totally gives you a glimpse into my mind. Heh...I DID sit to do Christmas cards. I had to go to one of THREE....that's right THREE junk drawers in my kitchen to look for something. Well, during that search I got mad at the thought of having three junk drawers when one of my utensil drawers was always getting stuck. Which reminded me that another NON-junk drawer had a lot of crap in it....which reminded me that the cabinet above my stove (housing my hot pads and aprons) always dropped things when I grabbed an oven mitt. (I never said this would make sense...only that it is how I think. Sadly, this is not an isolated event. I have priorities, they just fight each other for first place and I don't know who to listen to. :D )

This time, I listened to the drawers.

Don't they look better? I emptied them completely. I wiped them out with bleach wipes. I had to re-line a few. In the above photo the 2 outer drawers were junk drawers. The other is by my sink. While I still maintain 2 junk drawers, I have promoted one to begin holding my utensils.

Next Monday? CARDS.........maybe!

OK. Your turn. Link up on Mr. Linky so we can all pop over and show some blogger love and see wha'cha got goin' on.

I'M SORRY

Some of you, who thought you knew me are going to be disappointed in me. This is not new....you've probably seen it before, but this is a huge hit in our house.

This is totally INcorrect, politically speaking. However, this is entertainment in my house. My kids laugh their butts off every time they hear it. So, without further ado, and for your listening and viewing pleasure:

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

What do you think?

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all! (I've noticed that I open with "Hey, y'all" quite often....oh well.)

We have this week and next week of TMTT. I can't promise the week of Thanksgiving, as my kids will be out of school, DH will be home (for his first day off before the next tour...to fly out Friday...and a 3 day turn-around is hard to do). Not only will we be cleaning and getting ready for the big day, but we will be having to wash, dry, fold and pack hubby's clothes for his next tour.

My blogger friend, Lisa, and her sister host a blog carnival called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday." Loads of bloggers link up to share tips and/or recipes. It is a lot of fun. (Be careful...it leads to "blog gluttony." HAHA!)

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I started sharing stuff about Thanksgiving. I love the feedback I have gotten. Several said that they had never roasted a turkey and felt that they were ready to try it. That is so cool!

Today, I'm going to share my recipes for mashed potatoes and apple pie.

First: Mashed Potatoes (Some people call them "smashed" or "creamed." I don't see the difference in mashed or smashed...except maybe using a hand mixer or a potato masher. To me, creamed potatoes are a lot smoother...almost a thick gravy-like consistency. I don't usually do that.)

Here we go:

MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients:

potatoes (I like red skinned as they are a LOT silkier, but you can use almost anything. I also like Yukon Golds for their buttery color and texture. Russets will work just as well.)

salt

pepper

garlic powder

cream cheese

cream, or milk

butter

First you need to peel, clean and cube your potatoes. They don't have to be too small.

Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Add salt...not too terribly much. Bring to a boil. Boil until tender.

Once the potatoes are tender, drain the water. I take butter (I use real butter, not margarine) and put a hunk in to melt. I also put about 1/2 - 1 block of cream cheese in. (The cream cheese will not add taste, but adds a silkiness that is wonderful. These taters can be eaten without gravy.)

Mash this all up. Start to add milk, or cream, a little at a time, until the potatoes are the texture you want. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste.

APPLE PIE

Ingredients:

6 cups peeled, cored, thinly sliced apples (I like Granny Smith)

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

dash of salt

2-pastry crust for 9-inch

Now, pie crust. Use what you want. My Martha (Martha Stewart) has a wonderful and easy pie crust recipe. Crisco has a good and easy pie crust recipe. Pie crust is like gravy...it is so easy to make, but if you have never made it, it SEEMS a bit difficult. Just try it. You'll be glad you did. If you don't want to try it, Pillsbury has a good crust in the refrigerated section (usually with their biscuits and rolls) They come with 2 rolls per box. I use these when I'm in a hurry or just don't feel like making a crust. Do NOT use the frozen in the pan crust or the Pillsbury look-alike. One word....NASTY!!!

OK....unroll 1 crust and put it in your pie plate. (I don't do a deep dish on this one.) Set aside.

Put your lemon juice in a bowl. As you slice your apples, put them into the lemon juice. Toss to coat. The lemon juice will not add flavor, but will keep your apples from turning brown.

Core, peel and thinly slice apples to get to 6 cups. (A good measure is about 1 large apple per cup. You might need 1 or 2 more to reach 6 cups.)

Once you have all your apples, add your sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss until the apples are coated. The flour will thicken the juice released from the apples.

Pour your apple filling into the pie crust. It will fill it. Use the rest to mound up in the middle. They will bake down a lot. Don't worry about getting it too full.

Take your 2nd pie pastry to cover the pie. Seal up the edges. You need to cut some vents into the crust for the steam to escape. If you don't, you will have a huge mess. You don't want the pie to explode in your oven. LOL!

Bake at 425 for about 45 minutes. You might want to check the color of your crust at 35 minutes. You want it golden, not too brown. BUT, your apples won't be ready. Just take a sheet of foil to cover the pie and keep it from turning darker. It's also a good idea to put a cookie sheet under the pie as it might bubble out.

To make a nice presentation, I take my top pastry and fold it in half, then in half (making a quarter circle). I then use a mini-cookie cutter....usually apple, or something for the season) and cut through all 4 layers.

I put the top crust on. Seal the top and bottom crust edges by mashing together. I use a fork to decorate the edge, or make scallops with my fingers. I brush the top with egg white. The apples that I cut out, I put between the apple-shaped vent holes. I brush the apple cut outs with egg white. I think sprinkle sanding sugar over it. (Sanding sugar is the thicker "crunchy" sugar crystals.)

You don't have to do an egg wash. If you do, it will definitely need to be covered with foil at about 30 minutes as this pie browns quickly.

** Thanks to my friend for the picture. This is actually a pie that I baked last night for our Bunco party!

Holiday Cooking

Almost, but not quite, embarrassed to show this.


Today, while working on my Making a Happy Home post I was also thinking about what I would fix for tonight's Bunco gathering. I was looking in a holiday cookbook. I then thought it would be fun to put a picture up of my holiday cookbooks. There aren't too many.....only 5 cookie books. Why do I need 5 cookie books? And keep in mind that these are just HOLIDAY cookie cookbooks. Hmmm...I can think of 2 more (at least) that I have; not to mention the cookies in my regular baking books.




So you are probably asking why I'm embarrassed.


Keep going.





I mean, I'm not so embarrassed that I'm about to get rid of stuff or anything, but still. Let's take a quick tour.


Click on the picture to see it larger, but here is what I have:



1 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook
3 Gooseberry Patch cookbooks
1 Betty Crocker cookbook
1 Paula Deen cookbook
1 Taste of Home Thanksgiving cookbook
1 Nabisco Holiday cookbook
5 Christmas cookies cookbook
1 Holiday planner

Heh...keep in mind this is JUST for the holidays! Fun, huh?

Is your menu planned? Get on it!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, y'all. It's time for another installment of Making a Happy Home Monday. I hope you will join me.

The whole point is to take one thing per week and change it to make it prettier, or more functional...whatever to make your home a bit happier. I want to inspire and encourage other women to find happiness in the little things.

If there is something you want to share, please link up with Mr. Linky. I KNOW that we are all busy, with the holidays coming and all. Just take a few pics and share with us....OK?

Well, this week, there is a new twist to this. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do. I have some I need to do, but they are big projects and I'm not quite ready for you to see it. As I was unloading some groceries, I realized I was smiling and humming. I know that weather has an effect on moods, but it was so obvious.

It is cool enough that jackets are needed. It is windy...I LOVE wind. The leaves are colored and falling AND we are in the middle of the holiday season. So, I just want to say thanks to God for making my home a happy home. He does so all the time, I just have to learn to see it and enjoy it.

CHRISTMAS

This is the first, of MANY posts about Christmas. Well, I guess it's not technically the first...not even for this year.

Anyway, two things I wanted to tell you about.

First, if you haven't noticed, I have added a playlist....I have a few of my favorite Christmas songs. This isn't, by any means, a complete list. But these are songs I often find myself singing throughout the year.

Also, for a bit of Christmas fun, go here. Now, if you are much more versed in Christmas trivia than I, please don't brag to me.....I haven't completed the stinkin' thing yet. If YOU complete it...and do so within about 6 tries, I will accuse you of cheating until the day I die. :)

So anyway...have fun. And stay aware of the calendar. We are SLAP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOLIDAYS!

I'm fairly alarmed here. (Heh...that's another line we use....from Jurassic Park.)

ETA:

I finally completed (successfully) the Christmas Quiz. I am now in their Hall of Fame. I won't tell you how many attempts (or how many times I missed it in the last question), but it was fewer than you ;) LOL!

TSO

If I have my playlist on, then pause it before you play these videos. I go see these guys every year. They are so great. You may think you have never heard of them, but you have. If you do know who they are, you NEED to see them in concert. So good!

WHOSE LINE IS IT, ANYWAY?

OK, y'all. I won't keep you waiting. I really figured these were easy to guess. I'm either about to date myself, or show you what a dork I really am.....heh....did I just date myself by saying, "dork?"

Here goes:

"Where you at, Desmondo?" The Fugitive
"This ain't like dustin' crops, Boy." Star Wars
"Don't ANYbody move....a fuse is out" A Christmas Story
"I can add." Apollo 13
"It's them balsams." A Christmas Story
"Negative, negative. It just impacted on the surface." Star Wars
"Fra-geel-leh" A Christmas Story
"Oh, Mr. Rhett, you is bad." Gone With the Wind
"Aw, gee." A Christmas Story
"Think me up some donuts with sprinkles, while you're thinkin'" The Fugitive
"You'll get worms!" A Christmas Story
"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings." It's a Wonderful Life
"Stupid is as stupid does, Ms. Blue." Forrest Gump
"FUDGE!" A Christmas Story
"Concentrate!" Star Wars
"May I have some more red cabbage?" A Christmas Story
"Get my pies outta the oven!" Under Siege
"Never cross a Sicilian when death is on the line." The Princess Bride
"You ever been on a real shrimp boat? No, but I've been on a real big boat." Forrest Gump
"Don't start that again." The Jungle Book
"We got cows!" Twister

Can you tell the movies that have the greatest impact? And even as I was typing this, I was thinking of others that I forgot....like "ASTEROIDS!" (Star Wars.)

So, there ya go. I'm off to finish my Thanksgiving shopping list, then on to my addresses to for my Christmas card list. Tomorrow, or Monday, I will start making my cards......all 100 of them. YIKES! :-O

"Frankly my dear...."

I don't know how it is in your family, but around here, my hubby and I use movie lines....a LOT. Sometimes, well usually, they ONLY make sense to us; not our kids and certainly not our friends.

Some of these lines fit into the situation appropriately. Sometimes, they don't, but because we always seem to know what the other is thinking, we can say the line and then laugh our butts off. A LOT of the time, we both start to say the same line at the same time.

SO, without further ado, here are some of the lines. I've worked on this list awhile, and as I have said, or heard my dh say an oft-used line, I would write it down. See if you know what movie these lines are from. I'll come back in a few days and tell you. Please, don't spoil the fun by listing the movies in the comment section.

*these might not be direct quotes, but they are close enough to identify and they are listed how we use them*

"Where you at, Desmondo?"

"This ain't like dustin' crops, Boy."

"Don't ANYbody move....a fuse is out"

"I can add."

"It's them balsams."

"Negative, negative. It just impacted on the surface."

"Fra-geel-leh"

"Oh, Mr. Rhett, you is bad."

"Aw, gee."

"Think me up some donuts with sprinkles, while you're thinkin'"

"You'll get worms!"

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings."

"Stupid is as stupid does, Ms. Blue."

"FUDGE!"

"Concentrate!"

"May I have some more red cabbage?"

"Get my pies outta the oven!"

"Never cross a Sicilian when death is on the line."

"You ever been on a real shrimp boat? No, but I've been on a real big boat."

"Don't start that again."

"We got cows!"

JUST SOME STUFF

Hey, y'all. I just wanted to get a few pics up. I will post some Halloween pics later...they were on my hubby's camera and are now on his computer. I need to load them on mine.

BUT, you won't see it here today! Sorry. These are just random pics of my kidlets. I don't even know if it will be all of them, 'cause I don't remember what all I have on there that I want to share. I do know that several of these will be of my #4 at the arboretum....some will include his little friend.

Oh and 2 are for my friend Les, who wanted to see my pedi and mani...I think she was teasing, but thought I would show them anyway.

WELL CRAP

This, too, shall pass....it'll only take 4 years.

BUT, God is still in control and sits on the throne.

Remember, we are to pray for those in authority, even if it's an authority figure we don't agree with.

A good friend of mine shared this: she said that during her prayer time, she suddenly felt a peace about the election. She felt that God was saying, "What is the bigger miracle? That McCain get into office? Or that I change Obama to influence nations for Me?"

Wow! Isn't that something?

Remember, good things come to those who diligently seek Him. As Christians, we have nothing to fear. We all know how it will end. We, as a nation/world, have to go through tribulation of some kind. God never said, "Easy." He said, "I AM."

"I AM your healer."
"I AM your provider."
"I AM living water."
"I AM the author and the finisher."
"I AM the alpha and the omega."
"I AM the beginning and the end."

SO much more that HE IS.....ALWAYS!

Isn't that comforting? It is to me, anyway....and that is what I am reminding myself, because I am quite disappointed in the results. (to the point that a great friend called me to make sure I wasn't laid out on the ground having a fit and my hubby asked if I was going to be in a funk for the next few days.)

Like I said, I am disappointed, but at the same time, I think He is telling all Christians to lean NOT unto our own understanding, but to lean on Him.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

OK, y'all. Continuing with our Thanksgiving menu (if you go down a few TMTT posts, you will see the menu).

My blogger friend, Lisa, and her sister host a blog carnival called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday." It is a fun way to share recipes and kitchen hints. Pop on over and link up.

This dish is a tradition for us to have. I think it is probably quite popular, especially down here. It is one of the easiest recipes and, IMO, very yummy.

BROCCOLI AND RICE CASSEROLE

ingredients:

1 cup white rice, prepared

1 box frozen broccoli, steamed and drained well

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 jar Cheez Whiz

celery flakes

garlic powder

sliced, canned mushrooms (optional)

Directions:

Prepare rice, according to package directions.

Once prepared, add all other ingredients (the celery flakes and garlic powder...I guess a pinch)

Mix well. Pour into casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes

ENJOY!

Don't forget Making a Happy Home Monday

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

Did it just end? Or start? I don't remember how they word it. All I know is this. I LOVE LOVE LOVE when it gets dark early.

Crazy, I know. Most people I talk to don't like it. I can't imagine why.

Because I have a streak of strangeness, I feel like my day is actually longer when it gets dark early. My kids seem to settle a bit earlier...they don't go to sleep earlier, but they calm down earlier.

And I love to have it dark outside while I sit and do whatever. I know that I have a bit more time before bed.

I just love it!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, y'all. Sorry I'm late (Les) LOL! I wasn't able to work on this until this morning.

Before I continue, if you are a friend of mine, or my hubby's, on Facebook, there is a video with an embedded virus...DO NOT OPEN IT! I really think my system is clear...my hubby got the video from a friend and when he looked at it, his system locked up and the video went out to all his friends. We soon got a notice from Facebook saying that it was a "phishing" site that looks like Facebook. Just beware and do a virus scan often.

OK....

I hope you will all join me for Making A Happy Home Monday. As the holidays are RIGHT ON TOP OF US, it is time to get in control of your household. You might have company, or it might just be yourself, your spouse and your kids...either way, make it happy.

The premise behind Making a Happy Home Monday is to do something, just one thing during the week, to make your home happier. You can wipe down your baseboards, sweep your porch or dust the cobwebs out of your ceiling fan. (No, I don't have cobwebs in my ceiling fan *cough*.)

My hope is to encourage and inspire others to do something to make their homes a happy home.

I hope you will join me. Just link up on Mr. Linky so others can show some love and see what you are doing. Post pictures if you can. If you can't, just tell us what you did.

Have a blessed week!

For my segment on Making a Happy Home Monday I had to work in my kitchen. I'm about to start some BIG TIME cooking, baking and candy making. I need to know what I have, what needs to be replenished, and what is no longer fresh. My spice/herb cabinet had so much stuff that as I would look for something, other things would fall out or fall over...pain in the tush.

SO, I decided to take everything out, wipe down the shelves and go through everything. (Did you know that I discovered 12 tubes, 3 boxes and 2 jars of food coloring?) Important information, my friends.

JOIN ME!

PS...I hate to bring this up. (I have seen this little bit on others' blogs and thought it sad.) If you DO link to this, PLEASE add a link from your post back to this. Otherwise, I will delete your link. Thanks.