Displaying Christmas Cards

How do you display Christmas cards? I'd love to hear your ideas....be sure to post a link if you have a photo somewhere of what you do?

I'm thinking I could do something where the Thankful Tree is currently hung...but I'm not sure what!

Poll Results

The most essential appliance in my home is my:

Coffe Maker got 35% of the vote. It is apparent that I should have worded the poll as "The most essential appliance in my home for good health is". ::snort:: Obviously, many of my blog readers have not given up their daily drug. ::snort::

Grain grinder came in second with 23% saying it is the most essential appliance in their home. Vita Mix and Bosch tied for 15%. Some use their Vita Mix to grind their grain. I think I will continue to tell those who ask me which to buy first...buy something to grind grain first....then get a nice mixer when you can afford it.

Check out the new poll - let's settle this pecan thing once and for all. ::snort::

I Scream - You Scream - We all Scream for

ICE CREAM!!!

I decided the ice cream deserved it's own post. ::snort::

We began making our own ice cream over a year ago. We make it every Saturday as we have ice cream one night a week - Sunday night - instead of dinner. ::snort:: I let the habit slide during Mike's deployment. I began to simply buy Bryers....but everyone really likes homemade best. They were thrilled when Mike motivated me to begin buying the cream and he began making it again.

We've perfected vanilla. The kids add homemade frozen cookie dough, Newman O's, Magic Shell, Chocolate Chips...

Zander likes it best PLAIN!

Mike tried to make Rocky Road last week. It was ok, but sort of "weak". Tonight I made a chocolate sauce. I took a recipe for carob sauce out of Rodale's Natural Foods Cookbook and used more honey and cocoa.

We added little marshmallows, the chocolate sauce, pecans (see new poll), and chocolate chips to the "original" ice cream recipe. It made this and a bowl full. It was yummy. I still think chocolate covered almonds or pecans or peanuts would be best.

Remember that frozen cookie dough? What's this? An empty cookie tray in the freezer....I wonder just where that cookie dough went? I bet I find out at ice cream time tomorrow night.

Ah, nothing says Sunday - like home-made ice cream in the freezer. ::snort::

Deck the Halls (and Balconies too)

Today was the semi-annual chapel cleaning and decorating day. We do this for Advent and Lent. I’m not sure WHY it is always such a mess. This is perplexing to me. I didn’t realize that this was a CWOC/PWOC project. It’s a good thing I showed up. ::snort:: We had way less folks show up today but we got done QUICKER than usual. Go figure. (CWOC = Catholic Women of the Chapel/ PWOC = ::guess:: Protestant Women of the Chapel - I know I tried to come up with catchy names in our first thee assignments for Women's ministry but women in the military chapel want to use these titles. LOL)

These Girls said I could share their photo

I was given the yucky job of dusting and vacuuming the balcony. I didn’t realize that the balcony was USED. Our Protestant ushers have strict orders to keep children out of the balcony. Our services aren’t big enough to NEED that seating…but ah ha…the Catholics have only one Sunday service and they USE the balcony…in fact it seems that there are some youth that like the back corner…they are so BUSTED….because I found trash you would not believe…gross stuff…..and then I found a DEAD MOUSE. I was told to vacuum it up. I wasn’t about to touch it – so I sucked it up. ::ugh:: I may not be able to sleep tonight. I was so grossed out by this that I didn’t even take a photo. ::snort::

Our chapel is old - and has gorgeous wood work throughout...it shines tonight


I have a funny about the Christmas Tree. The Catholic lady who was heading up the decorating said that Catholics don't use Christmas trees in their church decorating and that having it is a compromise with the Protestants. I laughed and told her that every year we get complaints about having a tree in the sanctuary. We discussed not putting the tree up, but went ahead as we knew we'd be sure to hear about it if we didn't.....Really, Protestants refuse to be pigeon holed. There are those who LOVE the tree in the sanctuary and those who hate it. Mike put the tree up. The lady that usually decorates forgot to come today...so we had to use what we had to decorate the tree. Kathy, said that these streaming ribbons are the new thing in Christmas decor. We had to convince Mike. ::snort::

Oh, another decorating funny. I was about to throw away a strand of lights that "didn't work", when Kathy informed me they weren't plugged in. ::snort::

Mike and I went and tried a new to me Mexican Café for lunch. It was “pretty good”. Surprisingly, I’ve not found a Mexican restaurant here that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE….I’ll have to keep looking.

Jared had CAP compass training today. Jamin watched the younger ones until he got called into work. Mike and I were able to go home. Mike and Nolan went to help a couple who used to attend chapel move today….and then picked up Jared so he could help as well.

We’ve spent the evening making ice-cream, giving baths etc. Preparing for SUNDAY!

*The Good Husband of Zebra Drive* by Alexander McCall Smith

I always find it fun to venture back to Africa with Mma Ramotswe - a woman of fine traditional build. While I don't always agree with the world view presented by Alexander McCall Smith, I do agree often enough, to make this a fun series to read.

I enjoy the laid back lifestyle and the glimpses into another culture.

In this book Mma Ramotswe finds many of her "assumptions" to be challenged. She continues to trust completely in Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni (though he throws some surprises her way) and in Botswana.

I've visted the author's website and see no new books on the horizon for this series. Sad, another series finished....oh well, maybe he will write more.

This is another of my Fall Reading challenge books. The challenge is hosted by Katrina at Calipidder Days and runs until 21 Dec.

A Morning at the Theater, Toast Gadgets, & Produce!

The younger 6 children and I headed to the local university to enjoy a production of Narnia. The cast did a wonderful job. It was 2 ½ hours long and Zander sat through the whole thing. Stacia provided a bit of distraction from time to time, but all in all, I thought she did well. We even got a nice walk as I wasn’t aware that we were allowed to park in permit parking areas for the performance.

I made a few phone calls back at home.

I picked up our co-op’s produce order. We had produce co-op from 4 – 6 p.m.

I received a package from afar. What could it be? It was from Pre-loved Books. I didn’t remember ordering any books. There was a custom slip on the back….hmmmm….Dorothy is from England. I opened it to find this!

It’s my very own toast rack. I’ve listened to these being discussed for years on SHS and now I own my very own! I think the idea is to keep your toast from being soggy when you slather it with butter. THANK YOU, DOROTHY! I’ll think of you every time I use it, really I will.

We opted to grill some steaks tonight. EVERYONE planned to be home at dinner time, though Mike ended up not making it home for dinner. I quickly toasted some bread to try out the new gadget.

Does it go this way?

Nah, this seems to work.


Stacia thinks it’s her own personal toast buffet.


Mike was home late and didn’t have the benefit of “context” as he tried to figure out what the new gadget was for.



We enjoyed general merriment with the older boys HOME.


We discovered anew that Stacia is allergic to something in the store bought ranch dressing - could be MSG? This is her seconds after I gave in and let her have a "little" ranch dressing. We threw the bottle out and I WILL make homemade before our next meal.

We popped some popcorn and watched Jingle All the Way from netflix and then the Red Green Christmas Special (which we’d ordered as a surprise for Mike – a die hard Red Green fan).

Outlaw Update and Such

My little outlaw (see below) has told me that he's decided to stay one more day if I will "please never laugh in this house again." Oy vey!

I was happily making an ornament and broke it.

I'm obsessing over making it on time to the theater tomorrow a.m. for a private school showing of Narnia.

I spent hours and hours last night looking through a make a mix book and wondering if the mixes would work with fresh ground grain and coconut oil instead of shortening - kept in the fridge....and then I wondered how much of the nutrition would be GONE if I don't use the flour right away and how I balance that with the convenience of having pancake mix, hot roll mix, brownie mix and cake mixes ready to go.....

Such is life tonight. Mike and Jared are still on base (work and CAP). Jamin is out running - easy to do with the Christmas lights all around. Josiah is working.