12-25-10

.MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Christmas dinner and gifts with mom
and Don has been put off for a couple
days due to them not feeling well.

I took well over 100 pictures and videos.
So here are just a few from our Christmas!

7:30-9:30am

The kids each got a fart box
that had different buttons with
an assortment of fart sounds.
Too funny!

Damien opening his $50 gas card.
This also has the fart box in it, lol.

Mom did end up sending down some
food for our Christmas dinner.
I wanted to show you a casserole warmer
I made for her awhile back.
I also made a rice pack in matching fabric
that goes under the casserole dish
that can be warmed up in the microwave
that keeps your dish hot while traveling.

That's got me thinking for next year's
Christmas gifts. I have some extra
quilted fabric with batting in it.
It's never too early to start thinking
about Christmas 2011!



Need an idea and patterns for sewing?
HERE are a TON of patterns to get you started!
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From deal seeking mom:

Pair the Meijer Mealbox coupon with the Armour manufacturer coupon to get Armour Pepperoni free if your Meijer doubles manufacturer coupons. Here's how:

Armour Pepperoni (3 oz.), $1.39 (regular price)
$0.55/1 Armour Pepperoni printable
$1/2 Armour Pepperoni (Meijer)
From FREE to $0.34 ea. wyb 2 after stacked and doubled coupon!

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Mom called to thank me for the bag of cookies
and mugs with hot chocolate. She said
she couldn't believe all the cookies I had made.
I asked her how many types there were
because I really never kept track.
She said 18 different kinds!!!

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For all you big spenders out there!
Not me though, I have doctor bills to pay so had
to watch what was gotten for Christmas.
No bills or anything hanging over our
head from Christmas!
No credit card bills racked up, bought all
with cash. You don't really need
it if you have to put it on credit and pay
for it for the next 12 months!
Plan carefully and shop those after Christmas
sales, shop yard sales and stores sales
paired with coupons throughout the year
to make it less of a burden on your budget!
.

Twas the Day AFTER Christmas 'Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the house, Every creature was hurtin', even the mouse. The toys were all broken, their batteries dead; Santa passed out, with some ice on his head. Wrapping and ribbons just covered the floor, While upstairs the family continued to snore. And I in my T-shirt, new Reeboks and jeans, Went into the kitchen and started to clean. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the sink to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the curtains, and threw up the sash. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a little white truck, with an oversized mirror. The driver was smiling, so lively and grand; The patch on his jacket said, "U.S. POSTMAN." With a handful of bills, he grinned like a fox, Then quickly he stuffed them into our mailbox. Bill after bill, after bill, they still came, Whistling and shouting he called them by name: "Now Target, now Best Buy, now Penny's and Sears. There's eBay and Amazon - you're up to your ears! To the tip of your limit, every store, every mall, Now charge away - charge away - charge away all!" He whooped and he whistled as he finished his work. He filled up the box, then turned with a jerk. He sprang to his truck and he drove down the road, Driving much faster with just half a load. Then, I heard him exclaim with great holiday cheer, "Enjoy what you got . . . you'll be paying all year!"

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6:30pm
Showing ya how fast these gerbils can run!
The black one is faster than the white.
Since this video I have added a second wheel
on the second floor
and cardboard around the bottoms sides of
cage because they are making a mess with
their bedding flipping it outside the cage.
Gave them a mini carrot sliced up as a treat and
also sprayed a little vegetable cooking spray
on that squeaky wheel and now have no more
squeak, YEAH!

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I haven't received my door sales ads yet :0(
But I did get a Saturday Dispatch paper that
I did not subscribe to so don't know
what that is all about. That's 2 I've gotten this month.

On Christmas eve Kroger had started to mark
down their Christmas items to 40% off.
I'm sure come tomorrow those will go
to 50% off in most stores!
Might stop in there tomorrow
and get a big jar of mixed beans
and get out of the house for a few and drop
off Christmas trash at his work.
Our trash was supposed to of been picked up
Thursday and they never came.
So we're a little over loaded with trash at the
moment.
I want to make a big pot of ham and bean
soup with the ham bone and any remaining
ham on it! Yummy!

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8:40pm

I've been relaxing most of the day
and pretty much doing nothing, lol.
Hey we deserve it!
Surprisingly the kids are still going strong
after getting up about 5am!
We now have skateboard ramps set up in
our living room and the kids are riding their
skateboards on them on their bellies.
They tried to stand but I could envision
heads meeting up with a corner of a table
and an emergency room visit so put a stop
to that real quick!

9:30pm

Think I'm gonna retire to the bedroom
and watch some tv or take a hot bath.
Decisions, decisions!
Eenie meanie minie moe.
XBox 360 has been the hot toy
at our house today and at this point
I am tired of looking at it or hearing
it all...day...long!!
Oh yeah the three boys, Tony included,
are all interested in it.
As for me, I need some regular adult
television shows. Having withdrawal of
HGTV, Food TV and channels of the sort.
There's got to be something good on
tv being Christmas!
Kids are still up so maybe they will
sleep in tomorrow.
I know, wishful thinking.
Bellie's been gurgling and churning.
Don't think it knows what to do with
all this food from Christmas, lol.
Wait til I get the ham and beans
made tomorrow. Bet that will help it allot! LOL!
Well I am off here for today.
I am bored of the computer and
everything else, lol.

Ok before I head to bed I want you to see
how bored I am.
The last funny for today, lol.
Kids are playing Need For Speed on XBox360
so I decided to record the white
gerbil running on the wheel
with the sound affects from the XBox racing
game hearing cars shift gears then come to
a screeching halt along side
the gerbil going full speed.
Couldn't have been timed more perfect!
HILARIOUS!

9:40am

I just woke up.
This Christmas is wearing me out!
The older you get the harder it gets!
We went out to eat last night at Taco
Bell because I didn't feel like cooking.
Soon after our return home I went to bed.
It was around 7pm. And didn't get up til now.
That's 14 1/2 hours! I could have very easily
slept til about 11-12 no problem as I am having
a hard time waking up.

We still have 5 gifts to wrap for our parents.
Those are the ones we've been needing boxes for
and luckily Tony found some at work yesterday.
Still have about 5 or so gifts to wrap for the kids.
Oh yeah and Tony's going out today to get
a couple gerbils. So I will have to set up the
cage for them. Will just throw a blanket
over them and considering that the wrap.

I've got in-laws coming over today, I think.
Can't get a definate answer out of them
after asking them for the past week straight.
Tony wants me to start making the ham today
so we can offer them something to eat when
they come. So there's gonna be 2 Christmas
dinners I have to make in the next 2 days.

Well it's almost 10am and Tony just brought
a bunch of boxes in from the truck.
Time to wrap some more stuff, ahhh.
Then get out the video camera and try to get
that set up. Usually Damien does it for us
but he won't be here tonight because
he has to work.

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11:15am

Got one present wrapped and my ham
done up and put in the oven.
I scored the ham in a diamond pattern.
I didn't have any pineapple so used
what I had on hand, some oranges.
I thinly sliced 2 oranges and cut each slice in half
and placed them on the ham with toothpicks.
I then had an extra turkey oven bag,
because they come in packs of two,
and I put the ham inside that.
I'll bake the ham this way until about
a half hour before it is ready. Then
I will remove the bag & orange slices and
mix up some honey mustard, allspice and brown
sugar and put over top for the glaze
and bake the remaining 30 minutes.
Doesn't look too bad for something
thrown together with stuff on hand.
.
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Had I of known before yesterday that
I was making TWO Christmas dinners
I think I would be more prepared and
less stressed out.
And the best part-
I have no clue when or if the in-laws
are showing up!!
No one can give me a time frame.
I still have a couple of their gifts to wrap,
one of which I cannot find and have
ransacked my bedroom trying to look for it!

So word of advice for holiday time-
Please, wherever it is you are going,
whoever's house you are visiting,
be considerate and let them know
when you are coming!!!

My trays I just made,
Still have to make crab wonton cups
and get some chips!
AHHHHH!!
As if I don't have enough to do
or worry about at the moment!!

Tony is currently at the pet
store picking up 2 gerbils.
We waited til the last minute to get
them since we didn't know what
to do with them before Christmas.
Sneaking them down to the basement
til later on this evening.
I still have a box of movies we found in
a vacated apartment for the kids that
needs wrapped. Tony thinks we
should wrap each movie up.
He's funny!!! Or has lost his mind!!
Because my guess is about 20-30 movies!

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One go round done!
My brother-in-law and niece stopped by
around 3 unexpected. Then my mother &
father-in-law came over about 3:30pm.
So we had a house full.
Good thing I fixed enough food.

My internet went down for awhile which
was not good because that's where some of
my recipes were!
I made my wonton crab cups and just
started throwing things together without
actually knowing what the recipe called for.
And I am happy to say every raved over them!
My brother-in-law, who is a picky eater said
that of the top 5 things he loves to eat
these wonton cups are one of them!!
So I see I will have a new Christmas
tradition of making them.
Even my mother-in-law said she wants
me to send her the recipe!
That says allot!!

So I will share with you my
Crab Wonton Cups recipe.

24 wonton wrappers
1- 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 block Swiss cheese, grated fine
1/2 cup mayo
about 1/4 onion, diced small
2 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
season salt
1/2 pkg imitation crab meat, cut up & flaked
paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
Place individual wonton wrappers into muffin tin
to form cups, pinch and pleat to make them fit around sides.
Bake just the cups for about 5-7 minutes.

In a large bowl mix everything except the crab
with a mixer. Then stir in the crab meat.

Fill cups with cheese & crab mixture
then sprinkle paprika on tops.
Bake cups another 10 minutes or until
cups start to turn golden brown.

As for my ham it turned out wonderful.
Baked with the orange slices
then removed them when the ham was
almost done and did a glaze of
honey mustard and brown sugar.
Everything complemented one another
really well!!
My brother-in-law
My niece

Oh yeah earlier we had to fight the
crowds at Kroger to get a few things needed.
All the checkouts were open!
Surprisingly I was able to find a bunch
of manager specials while there!
I'd say it was all marked half price or more.

$1.49 sugar cookie egg nog

2 large cans whole tomatoes .49 cents each

2 cans Campbells cream of mushroom soup .49 cents each

1 can chicken broth .29 cents

1 can corn .29 cents

box of chicken stock .99 cents

can of pineapple .49 cents

5 pound bag of flour .69 cents

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Merry Christmas to me!
Thanks to my honey,
my favorite drinkee.
Well that and a Red Headed Slut
and wine coolers.
That's a drink for all you perverts, lol.
I'm not a drinker so this is a special treat.
Being a 1 liter it should last me awhile!
Maybe I'll leave some out for Santa with his cookies!

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9:30pm

Damien just called and said he was off work.
He wanted to know if he could come up
and spend the night and we said yes.
It's a good thing because I was just trying
to figure out how to set up our video camera
and are not having much luck with getting
tapes to rewind in it to set up to record
tomorrow morning.
Yeah we have an old video cassette recorder camera
that we've been using for almost 11-12 years.

10:30pm

Damien's here now. He got the video camera ready
for tomorrow. Guess I didn't slide a button that
said vcr or camera to set up the tape.
Plus got my camera battery on charge for
pictures and smaller video clips.

One kid is asleep, the other is flipping out
saying he cannot go to sleep.
Still have some gifts to wrap so I guess
I'm back on schedule like all the other years
just not as much.
Got little critters in the basement to bring up.
Tony got them a black and a white gerbil.
They are fun to watch and so much
more energetic than a hamster.
I guess the pet store people said these buggers
could run up to 7 miles a day.
I believe it after seeing how fast they could run
on the wheel. Will have to get a video of it.
After tomorrow I'll have to train them to use
the ladders of the cage. It is 3 stories
and they haven't left the 1st one yet.
They go about half way up the first set
of stairs and use it to jump over to the wheel.

12:50am

It's almost 1am and I am still up.
Still wrapping the last couple of things.
The big stuff got blankies for wrapping paper!
Still need to haul all the presents up
from the basement and put out then
it will be bedtime. I don't feel too bad
considering I got 14 hours sleep yesterday, lol.
My ibuprofen started wearing off and hands, legs
were a throbbing and hips started hurting.
Got another dose and are feeling better.
Well time to set gifts out. I sent Tony
and Damien downstairs to get them all, lol,
I said I wrapped them all, ya'll can bring them up.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!