11-27-10

9:40am

I got up at 8:30am. I'd of slept in later but everyone
was afraid I wouldn't get up in time to make breakfast.
With everyone off school
and work I keep thinking I'm a day ahead of myself.
Like I keep thinking today is Sunday.
I was wanting to go out and look for the Sunday
paper on the step this morning, LOL.

Just put breakfast in the oven.

Bacon Breadstick Focaccia

In a bowl I added 8 eggs, some milk,
a couple teaspoons melted butter
and Italian seasoning and beat with a whisk.
I then poured that over top the bread sticks
and bacon and sprinkled shredded
casserole cheese on top.
I had 2 leftover pieces of bacon that
I crumbled up and put over top the cheese.
I made this all in a round cake pan.
Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
at the 25 minute mark you could
add the shredded cheese on top
if you desire instead of putting it on first.

.The kids were playing Playstation when I started
serving this breakfast. Usually nothing pries them
away from game systems once they start playing.
But when I presented them with this breakfast in front
of their noses I got ooohs and awwws
and Jonathan said, "I'm just gonna have to pause
my game for this!"
LOL!!
This is a keeper recipe!

Wonder if I could also do a recipe like this
coiled bread sticks with cinnamon.
Instead of putting bacon in between the bread dough
I could do up a mixture of cinnamon, butter
and brown sugar or sugar in a zip loc baggie,
cut the corner tip of the baggie
and squirt the cinnamon mixture in between
the coiled bread sticks. Bake, then top
with a powdered sugar glaze with cream cheese.
Sprinkle with nuts.

-----------------------------------

Here's a scenario of how much can be saved
by working on your own car to do even
a regular tune up as opposed
to going to a repair shop.

I am using our Lexus LS400
as an example so these parts might
be more than your regular car.
This car also has 2 distributors unlike your
regular cars which only have 1 so we have to double those parts.

(not our actual car but same thing)

Just for kicks we called Goodyear to see
how much a tune up would cost
and they said $675!!
This did NOT include an oil change!

Now if we buy the parts and do it ourselves:

2 distributor caps $19.99 x's 2 is $39.98

2 distributor rotors $9.49 x's 2 is $18.98

Set of spark plug wires $80

8 Spark plugs FREE (after black friday sale & rebate)

5 quarts of oil & filer $6.00 (after black friday sale & rebate)

Cost for Goodyear
(and this did not include an oil change)
$675

Cost to do it ourselves
$144.96
(includes oil & filter change!)

TOTAL SAVED
$530.04

--------------------------------------

Still have not gotten the Christmas tree
or decorations out yet.
I am dreading just thinking about
having to get them all out from storage
underneath the basement steps.

-----------------------------------------------

7:00pm

Kind of a slow and easy day. Our kids
had other kids over and played out side some
til they froze. Then a couple neighbor kids
came inside with our boys to warm up
and play playstation for the afternoon.

As for myself I rested in bed a few this afternoon
and took a short nap. I have been noticing
after taking the steroid, prednisone, that it
might be the culprit to making my stomach or
rib area muscles to hurt.
I eat a full meal before taking them so as
to not have an upset stomach but then
about 30 mins later or more is when
I notice my stomach muscles hurting, even to talk
strains them. I still have two more pills left and
might not take the remaining two because of it.
I still have the cough with some congestion.
I need to somehow kick this crap in the butt.
I've been doing my inhaler when the congestion
gets to feel like too much.

This evening Jonathan is having a friend stay the night.
This is only the second time we have allowed
a sleepover. We had to run to Kroger
so I could get some things to make everyone
for breakfast and I got the kids a couple cheapie
frozen pizzas. I made them cheese puff pizza
for supper with some hot chocolate.
Kids will eat anything especially if it looks weird.
They were probably glad to have pizza
rather than turkey leftovers.
They are happy campers at the moment
and have finally mellowed out, thank goodness.
You know how kids can be when around friends,
a little rowdy.

We took everyone over to Kroger but I left
Tony in the truck with all 3 boys while I ran in.
I just couldn't imagine the 5 of us in the store together
and something not going wrong, someone acting up
or forgetting something.
Of course while in Kroger trying to hurry I ran
into truck driver neighbor and his 3 kids.
And of course had to hear about all his problems.
All I could think about was Tony being stuck
in the truck full of boys going nuts, lol.
So by the time I got out of the store, with my eyes crossing from listening to truck driver neighbor, Tony jumped out
of the truck to help me load the groceries in the back.
The boys were driving him nuts, lol.
We're both behind the truck pretending to strangle and shoot ourselves, lol, due to all the kids in hyper mode and then the neighbor stopping me in the store.
Ahhhh!

But it's all good now that they are sitting down
having a bite to eat and getting something in their
bellies and winding down.

..
At the moment I am currently planning breakfast
for us and our little company.
I'm wanting to make individual puff pancakes
(from taste of home)
in a jumbo muffin tin.
I had an extra can of apple pie filling
which I will make caramel apple topping
to put on the tops of the puff pancakes.

While the puff pancake is not my recipe,
here is my recipe for the caramel apple topping.
Hope it goes well because I haven't made it
yet and just wrote it.

Spoon apple pie filling into a sauce pan
chopping up the apples.
Over low-medium heat.
add 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup creamer
(i'm using caramel & vanilla creamer) and stir until
butter and brown sugar has melted and
dissolved.
In a small cup add a tablespoon of cornstarch
and a tablespoon of water to make a slurry.
Remove apple mixture from heat
and slowly stir the slurry into the apple mixture.
Stir constantly until mixture thickens.

Spoon this mixture into the centers
of the puff pancakes. Top with whipped
cream and nut topping.

Sounds good anyway so I hope it turns out!

Here's what a puff pancake looks like
.

Usually Puff Pancakes are baked in
an iron skillet in the oven.
..
----------------------------------------------

9:15pm

Currently watch Home Alone.
They have been playing all these movies back to back.

11-26-10

9:00-10:00am
(that included drive time to and from store
and shopping in store!!)

Well we finally did it, went to a store to
do black Friday shopping.
Our first time ever!
I chose the perfect store with hardly anyone
in there and no lines, Pep Boys.
And the best part was that I saved lots
of money (after rebates) on stuff that
we needed, not stuff we wanted.

8 platinum spark plugs
reg. $2.49 each x's 8 is $19.92
sale price $1.49 each x's 8 is $11.92
Total after rebate FREE!
Total savings $19.92

10 quarts GTX oil + 2 oil Purolator oil filters
quart of oil reg. $4.49 x's 10 is $44.90
2 oil filters reg. $3.49 x's 2 is $6.98
Sale price for oil & filters $32.00
Total regular price for oil & filters $51.88
Total after rebate $12.00
Total savings $39.88

1 Peak 50/50 antifreeze
reg. $11.49
sale price $6.00
Total after rebate $1.00
Total savings $10.49

1 set rear brake pads for Lexus
reg. $21.99
sale price $11.99
total savings $10.00

Remember the jump start box
I got 11-16 at Pep Boys.
It was regular $45 and they had it on sale
for $32.49 with a $10 rebate to make it $22.49.

Well I saw in Pep Boys black Friday
ad that the jump boxes went down another
$10 to $22.49.
So I took my receipt with me today for that
jump box and asked them if they could
give me another $10 off and they did!!

So (after rebate) I paid $12.49
for a $45 jump box!!
A savings of $32.51.

Gotta keep your eyes peeled for stuff
like that!! Doesn't hurt to take your
stuff/receipts back to see if you can get additional money
off of things you just recently bought.

Oh and we bought an inside door handle
to our Suburban (not a black Friday or any special)
$15.99
We really needed one because you couldn't let
yourself out of the passenger side of the truck
without someone opening the door from the outside.


So to wrap up this trip to Pep Boys up
with rebates included in paid price
and to include regular, non sales or black Friday prices:

TOTAL BEFORE $143.30
TOTAL PAID $37.48
TOTAL SAVINGS $105.82

--------------------------------------------

3:25pm

Finally got tired of hardly having internet
and a phone that made me sound like an alien.
I called WOW and they tried to fix something through
the phone but that didn't work. I called them back
and now they are sending someone out within
the next half hour to check it out.
I am really amazed they are coming out the same
day I called let alone within 2 hours of calling.
We haven't really had a good internet connection
since Wednesday. I thought the kids did something
but I have checked and rechecked all wires,
turned off, turned off and rebooted so many times
that I figure it's not us, it's WOW.
I will be glad if it gets fixed. You try having
4 days off with 2 kids and a hubby
without internet and computer time
for anyone. It hasn't been fun!

---------------------------------------

4:15pm

Shoot me please as I have lost my mind.
Wow cable guy can't get here any faster!
I swear every neighborhood kid has flocked to
our house to play!! aaaAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Calgon Take Me Away!!!!
There's more people here today
than there was on Thanksgiving.
..------------------------------------

4:30pm

The Wow guy never came to the house
but we just saw him drive down the street.
Internet and everything is working but you would have thought
the Wow person would have stopped by to
see if everything was working.
I don't care, it's working! LOL.

-----------------------------------------

6:30pm

ok I lied, the cable people I saw earlier driving down
our street was not for us.
The internet wasn't work as good as I thought,
only momentarily.
They finally arrived here in two trucks
and were here about 1-2 hours.
They had to replace the line that ran from the house
to the alley way. And they also had to replace
the box on the alley pole because I guess
it had gotten water in it causing it to not
work properly.
Hey guess where the outside cable box is on our
house? Behind the water barrels.
I had the water barrels draining this whole time
(for the past month or so for Winter),
so I thought, and someone had come along and turned the water spicket off in the past month
or so causing all three rain barrels to fill completely full of water. So we had to try and hurry to drain them
somewhat to be able to pull the barrels out
so the cable guy could get to the box.
That was not fun. Three 55 gallon barrels full of water!
All I can say is I'm sure they are gonna need repaired next Spring due to moving them.
Anyway they fixed everything outside, came in the basement
and fixed another cable (not our fault as it was taped
and put together like that when we moved in),
and also checked out the modem and router in the bedroom.
They said everything was running 100% so we'll see.
We've been having on and off problems with
the phone and internet for quite some time.
Since Wednesday of this week has been the most
it has been out or hardly working.

-----------------------------------

7:50pm

Just returned from Kroger.
Boy what a difference in shopping tonight
compared to Wednesday.

Had to stock up on the basics like
milk, bread & pop.
I picked up a few things for breakfast tomorrow.
I found a recipe on Pillsbury for

.

Bacon Breadstick Focaccia

I'm gonna make the bread sticks like
the picture possibly putting it in a pie pan, spread some melted butter and italian seasoning on bread dough,
top it with a scrambled egg mixture
and then some shredded cheese.
Then bake in the oven.

Don't see why you couldn't make
individual servings in muffins cups
making the same recipe but using
one bread stick per cup.
I'll have to remember that when thinking
of breakfast meals to make.

I don't know what it is. When I read recipes
I have to find ways to change it or jazz it up even more, lol.

--------------------------------------------

Today is the last day of online voting
for the Pop Tarts contest if you
would like to vote one last time :0)
Pop Tart Tiramisu

------------------------------------

Do I look tired?????
Maybe I'll get to sleep in a little tomorrow.
Nighty night!
8:30pm.

11-26-10

9:00-10:00am
(that included drive time to and from store
and shopping in store!!)

Well we finally did it, went to a store to
do black Friday shopping.
Our first time ever!
I chose the perfect store with hardly anyone
in there and no lines, Pep Boys.
And the best part was that I saved lots
of money (after rebates) on stuff that
we needed, not stuff we wanted.

8 platinum spark plugs
reg. $2.49 each x's 8 is $19.92
sale price $1.49 each x's 8 is $11.92
Total after rebate FREE!
Total savings $19.92

10 quarts GTX oil + 2 oil Purolator oil filters
quart of oil reg. $4.49 x's 10 is $44.90
2 oil filters reg. $3.49 x's 2 is $6.98
Sale price for oil & filters $32.00
Total regular price for oil & filters $51.88
Total after rebate $12.00
Total savings $39.88

1 Peak 50/50 antifreeze
reg. $11.49
sale price $6.00
Total after rebate $1.00
Total savings $10.49

1 set rear brake pads for Lexus
reg. $21.99
sale price $11.99
total savings $10.00

Remember the jump start box
I got 11-16 at Pep Boys.
It was regular $45 and they had it on sale
for $32.49 with a $10 rebate to make it $22.49.

Well I saw in Pep Boys black Friday
ad that the jump boxes went down another
$10 to $22.49.
So I took my receipt with me today for that
jump box and asked them if they could
give me another $10 off and they did!!

So (after rebate) I paid $12.49
for a $45 jump box!!
A savings of $32.51.

Gotta keep your eyes peeled for stuff
like that!! Doesn't hurt to take your
stuff/receipts back to see if you can get additional money
off of things you just recently bought.

Oh and we bought an inside door handle
to our Suburban (not a black Friday or any special)
$15.99
We really needed one because you couldn't let
yourself out of the passenger side of the truck
without someone opening the door from the outside.


So to wrap up this trip to Pep Boys up
with rebates included in paid price
and to include regular, non sales or black Friday prices:

TOTAL BEFORE $143.30
TOTAL PAID $37.48
TOTAL SAVINGS $105.82

11-25-10

Rise and shine at 6:30am.
The alarm went off and I nudged Tony
thinking it was another weekday.
It took me a couple moments to realize
it was Thanksgiving, lol.

8:40am

So far have gotten the green bean casserole
and creamed cheese corn made and are
currently working on homemade
macaroni & cheese.

9:30am

Started working on getting
the turkey in the oven. Should take at most
2 1/2 hours to bake in a oven bag for about
a 19 pound bird.
This will give me about an hour to let
it rest or keep warm in a lower temperature oven.
I got the vegetables steamed that will go into
the turkey. I added a cup of water to the veggies
along with some liquid smoke.
Then put it in the microwave for about 8 minutes.

I got my kitchen floor mopped. I waited
til the last second to this. It is raining
out so you can imagine what has been tracked
in on my cream colored, tile floor.

----------------------------------------

6:15pm

The internet here has been awful.
Either not working or sooooo slow!
So I will have to wait to upload any
Thanksgiving photos :0(
My turkey turned out beautiful and
was sooo moist and juicy.
Definately will brine it again for
future Thanksgivings.

7:50pm

Settling down for the evening.
Decided to make everyone a mug
of hot chocolate.
Filled up the coffee pot with water
and put 5 packets of hot chocolate into
the filter and then ran the coffee maker.
Filled the mugs with hot chocolate
some caramel vanilla creamer,
topped with either marshmallows
or whipped cream and then topped
with a sprinklin of cinnamon.
YUMMY! That hit the spot
to feeling all warm and fuzzy!

So there's a thought if you are a coffee drinker
and want a mocha. Empty a couple
packets of hot chocolate in your filter
with your coffee and brew as usual.

..

----------------------------------------

8:00pm

ok gonna try to upload my pictures.
Internet seems to be going a lil faster
so we'll see how long this lasts, ha ha.
Even my phone service sucks at the moment.
It sounds like it's garbled like I'm talking
under water.
I see this is going to take awhile, grrrr.

My turkey getting ready to go into the oven.
.First time using our table with the leafs in it.
My $60 yard sale table.
The two odd ball chairs were curb crawled.
The kids use them for their desks in their rooms.
.My last minute homemade table runner
and place mats.
.My Caramel Coconut Krispies on a cupcake tree.
.Close up of Caramel Coconut Krispies
.My turkey. Don't it look purty!
I was so proud of it.
.My in-laws. Never mind the spot on my couch.
I wiped something off and had a wet spot.
.All the fixins
....The gang's all here.
.Time to eat. Dig in!
...HAPPY THANKSGIVING
.A week or more of planning and two hours
of eating and company from 1-3:00pm.
And in the blink of an eye the house returns
to normal.
2 hours after.
...The after affects of turkey.
Yeah I dozed off on the couch
while watching tv, lol.
I was tired and was glad it was over with.
.2 squirrels stopped by for a visit.
I threw them a couple pieces of bread.
I'm sure they would have preferred
a piece of pumpkin pie instead.
.
Well y'all it's been fun. I am tired and it
took me an hour and 20 minutes
just to upload these pictures.
This is ridiculous!
9:20pm
Another early wake up call tomorrow.
Thinking about heading to Pep Boys.
They are having a sale from 6-10am.

----------------------------------------


Does anyone need an idea of what to get
boys each year for Christmas???
When they get to the age where they like
to tinker with things like putting together and taking
apart bicycles or other items of the sort
and when they start borrowing dad's tools
is when I came up with this idea.
I did it with my oldest son and now want
to start doing it with the two younger ones.
The first year we buy them a tool box
and maybe a small set of tools like
screwdrivers or socket sets.
Then the following Christmas' we buy more tools
(wrenches, pliers, power screw driver, hammer and so on)
or power tools when they get into their teens.
With my oldest I think he was about 18 or 19 years
old and we got him a power tool set with
a saw zaw, drill, flashlight and a couple batteries
and I don't remember what else.
As they get older and more mature is when
the heavy duty tools should be gotten.
Why do I do this when they are young
and preteen age?
Tools can be quite expensive so I thought
by buying them a little each year for Christmas
they could have a nice collection for when they
reach the age of being able to get a job, a car or move out
on their own. They won't have to worry about
the financial burden of buying them or could
also use them on the job just like dad does.

So this year I think we are getting the boys
each a tool box and possibly a $10 tool set
from Pep Boys to get them started.
Then I'll have to teach them to take care of them
so they can last many years, and also how
to put them back in the toolbox when done, lol,
so as to not loose them.

Next thing is to be able to tell whose tools are whose.
Because ya know eventually they are going
to get mixed up between one anothers
and the arguing will begin.
Get 2 bottles of different color nail polish.
No it doesn't have to be pink or a feminine
color as there are a wide variety of polish colors.
Let's say you buy red and yellow.
Paint part of the tool or put a color dot
on each one. Then put that same color
on the tool box itself.
Red dotted tools will go in the red tool box
or yellow dotted tools go in the yellow tool box.

A good place to find cheap tools to get them started
is Harbor Freight or Marcs.
Harbor Freight usually has circulars
that come out each week in the Columbus Dispatch
The have coupons to get cheap tools or
even some freebies like an led flashlight.

harborfreight.com

-------------------------------------

11-24-10

Rice Krispies Thanksgiving Drumsticks

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies®
• Peanut butter
• Cocoa Rice Krispies®

Preparation

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S® RICE KRISPIES® cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Cool slightly. Using buttered hands shape mixture into twelve small drumsticks.

4. Spread peanut butter on each drumstick, then dip in KELLOGG'S® COCOA KRISPIES® cereal. Refrigerate until firm. Best if served the same day.

-------------------------------------------------------

Rice Krispie Turkeys

.

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

Ingredients:

Rice Crispy Treats Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 10 oz marshmallows
• 6 cups rice crispy cereal
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (omit if making classic flavor)

Turkey Decor:

• candy corn
• cashews (split in half, and then broken in two)
• Whoppers (or other round, brown candy)
• black frosting
• red licorice (I used Twizzlers “Pull & Peel”) – or a dried cranberry might work
• more peanut butter for “glue”

Method:

To Make Turkey Crispies

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat (with peanut butter if using). When melted, add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add cereal and mix well.

While still warm, use your hands to form the mixture into small balls. Then use additional peanut butter for “glue” to tack on the candy corn (feathers), Whopper (head), beak (cashew), little red waddle (licorice), and then use black frosting to make the eyes. You may need to squish these down slightly so that there’s a flat part on the bottom, in order to help the “bird” balance.

----------------------------------------------------

8:25am

I think I finally figured out a recipe to make
with rice krispies cereal for the contest
and might whip up a batch today.
This is my own recipe.
I just put the basic recipe
and will have more details later.


Caramel Coconut Krispies
my version of Somoa cookies
made with rice krispies.

Make rice krispies as usual.
Either press them into a baking dish
or divide up among mini muffin cups with cupcake holders
and press into bottoms.

Combine caramels with whipping cream
in saucepan and stir until melted.
Stir in toasted coconut & pecan.
Spoon this mixture over top the rice krispies.

In a microwavable bowl add 1/3 cup
cream and bring to a boil.
Stir in a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
and whisk until chips are melted and smooth.
Pour or spoon over top caramel coconut mixture.

Refrigerate about 30 minutes until chocolate
has set.

-----------------------------------------------

9:50am

So much to do. I got an early start this morning.

This is what I do to start preparing a couple
days before Thanksgiving.
I set out all my ingredients and place
them in their dishes that they will be made in.
This way I can take inventory and see that
I have all ingredients and baking supplies
needed ahead of time.
.Left to right we have:
Stuffing with apples,
Coconut caramel kripsies,
Creamed corn,
Green bean casserole,
Sweet potatoes &
macaroni & cheese.

---------------------------------------

10:43am

I made a list last night of everything I needed
to do so I wouldn't forget anything.

Now I feel like I just walk in circles
wondering what to do next with so much to do.
I do stuff then go to my list to cross it off
only to realize it wasn't on the list to begin with.
I feel like I'm making no headway.

----------------------------------------------------

11:30am

Taking breaks between different
chores of house cleaning helps out allot.
Got my exercise already by seeing how
many times I could run up and down
basement steps with boxes & bags of stuff.

Dollar General 3 Day Sale
good Thursday (open 7am to 6am yes am!)
through Saturday.
Is it just me or does it seem like allot
more stores are open on Thanksgiving now?

Buy 1 Get 1 Free 7UP 2 liters

50% off all fleece tops & bottoms, ladies, mens & kids.

Buy 1 Get 1 Free all Dollar General batteries.

Small appliances $10 (reg. $20)

Trac Cell Phone $9 (reg. $30)

GPX DVD player $20 (reg. $29)

Cuddle Delux (like a Snuggie) $5 (reg. $10)

Toys like Road Rippes and a
2 pack of princess "Barbies" $5.00

Thursday only!

10MP digital camera $35

Digital video Camera $20

Polaroid 4GB touch screen mp3 player $28

-------------------------------------------------

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON .. It takes about 20 seconds.
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

-------------------------------------------------------

TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING,

BUT I JUST COULDN'T SLEEP.

I TRIED COUNTING BACKWARDS,

I TRIED COUNTING SHEEP.

THE LEFTOVERS BECKONED -

THE DARK MEAT AND WHITE,

BUT I FOUGHT THE TEMPTATION

WITH ALL OF MY MIGHT.

TOSSING AND TURNING WITH ANTICIPATION,

THE THOUGHT OF A SNACK BECAME INFATUATION.

SO, I RACED TO THE KITCHEN, FLUNG OPEN THE DOOR,

AND GAZED AT THE FRIDGE, FULL OF GOODIES GALORE.

GOBBLED UP TURKEY AND BUTTERED POTATOES,

PICKLES AND CARROTS, BEANS AND TOMATOES.

I FELT MYSELF SWELLING SO PLUMP AND SO ROUND,

'TIL ALL OF A SUDDEN, I ROSE OFF THE GROUND.

I CRASHED THROUGH THE CEILING, FLOATING INTO THE SKY,

WITH A MOUTHFUL OF PUDDING AND A HANDFUL OF PIE.

BUT, I MANAGED TO YELL AS I SOARED PAST THE TREES....

HAPPY EATING TO ALL - PASS THE CRANBERRIES, PLEASE.

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY,

MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.

MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP.

MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS.

MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,

MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

Click on the Pumpkin Pie below.

PUMPKIN PIE

------------------------------------------------

12:45pm

Wouldn't if figure, I have to cook and clean
and the kids find a Ghost Hunters marathon
on tv, ahhhhh! This isn't helping me
get done any faster, lol.

Just got done eating lunch to give me a fuel
boost. I took my prednisone medicine after eating.
Let me tell ya, when trying to wash down
a pill with a drink make sure it gets down
the first time! YUCK that pill got stuck
in my mouth after drinking and now I have
a HORRIBLE taste in my mouth from it!
I have tried to drink something to wash
the taste out of my mouth and it isn't working!

-----------------------------------------------

1:45pm

Housework is done, YEAH!!!
Now time to work on some of the side dishes
for tomorrow. They shouldn't take too long
since I'm only putting them together and not
baking til tomorrow.
green bean casserole, sweet potatoes & rice krispies treats.
The only thing I will be completely making
today is the caramel coconut krispies.
Tomorrow will make the creamed corn,
stuffing, macaroni & cheese & turkey.
Mom's bringing all the other side dishes.

We do have to run to Krogers tonight
to get some pop for tomorrow.
Been working on making ice cubes all day.
Maybe I'll find something easy for supper
when there also. I really don't feel like
dirtying the kitchen with supper dishes.

---------------------------------------------------

3:35pm

Just got done making 30
caramel coconut krispies.
Whew that was allot of work.
I should've just made them all in one pan
instead of in individual cupcake papers.
Now if I can find a place to set them all
in the fridge til the chocolate hardens I'd be all set.

I'm getting tired.
Still have to get leafs in table (with Tony's help),
then measure out fabric and make a table runner.
Chairs still need brought up from basement
& out of kids rooms.
Still need to make green bean casserole
and sweet potatoes.
Go to Krogers tonight and after supper
color my hair.
Then I can pass out til tomorrow.
Getting up around 6:30am to get turkey in oven
and start making the other side dishes
and setting up the buffet area.
I set up a card table in the middle of my kitchen
to act as an island and provide more
space to put all the dishes to be served.
Not the prettiest thing, one of our finds, so I will
cover it with a flat sheet.
We're having dinner at 1pm.
I like my dinners early and don't like
to starve everyone too long.

----------------------------------------------

3:35-9:00pm

This afternoon I let a couple of the boys
friends in the house to play since it was cold
and rainy out. And ever since they played in the
bedroom around the modem the internet
has not been working too well. I tried
rebooting a couple times with no luck.

Anyway I got a dish of cut up celery,
apples, onions, carrots with basil &
thyme all chopped up and ready to put
in the turkey tomorrow.

Got the leafs put in the table
and that all arranged. Meaning we had to move
the entire table so I could adjust the area
rug underneath it to be centered.

And more last minute crafts.
I printed out 5 sheets of assorted leaves
on different colored construction paper.
Got all those cut out and placed on the card
table that is covered with a brown flat sheet.
In the center of the card table I also made
a hot pad to put the turkey on.
Also made a runner for the dining room table.

And that's all that I've done for today.
No I didn't get any side dishes made
and will have to make them all tomorrow
morning. It's now 9:05pm and I still
have to color my hair before going to bed.

Tony keeps saying I should just order
a Thanksgiving meal from Kroger one year.
I said that's not what Thanksgiving is all about.
I want homemade fixin's not store bought!!
Now maybe if it is just me and him one day
when we get older, kids grown, a store bought meal would
be ok or maybe going out for dinner.
Even though I haven't felt the greatest I
have been determined to still have this
Thanksgiving for everyone. Now darn it I missed
out on dinner at mom's for my birthday and
I missed out on going to Golden Coral for
my birthday. So inside, even though it's 10
days after my birthday, I feel like this homemade
meal will make up for it all!!

We went to Kroger earlier and I thought
it would be such a hassle with last minute
people shopping for Thanksgiving.
I dreaded going there. But ya know it wasn't
too bad. Yeah there was allot of people there
but they had every check out lane open
and there really wasn't a wait in line.
At the time of going to Kroger I wasn't feeling the
greatest and hurried through the store.
You ever get cramps in your muscles after running.
Well I hadn't been running but I felt like
my muscles under my ribs were cramping up.
I didn't even feel like talking for a couple hours, which
I don't think the boys minded, because it used
stomach muscles with hurt and kind
of made me out of breath. So soon after
getting home I did my inhaler and felt a little better.

I saw the doctor's office called today but I didn't
get to the phone in time. I tried to call the number
that came across the caller id but it didn't work
or go through. It's bugging me that the doctor's
office would be calling me a day after my appointment
and xrays. It was about 5pm so I knew the
doctor's office was closed. So now I sit
and worry.

I finally got my caramel coconut krispies
in the fridge so that the chocolate could harden.
Tomorrow I will remove the wrappers and
out them out on a cupcake tree.
.Here are my veggies to put inside the turkey.
.I had to jazz up the blah looking card table
that is sitting in the middle of my kitchen.
I added a brown sheet, a homemade hot
pad and several colorful leaves I cut out.
.I found some brown satin ribbon with
gold edges and hung them off all the door knobs.
.
Table is ready for tomorrow to be made up.
You can see my table runner and place mats
I made ready to decorate the table.
I have about 5 scented jar candles mom got me
for my birthday I'll be lighting
and putting down the table runner.
Might use the basket for rolls.

I fear the boys scratching the top so left the
pads on until the last minute.
Well I'm gonna go color my hair
then pass out because I'm exhausted
and have an early wake up call tomorrow morning.

11-23-10

7:30am

I've already told ya that I was considering
soaking my turkey in a brine. Then I got to thinking,
where in the world am I gonna find a pot big enough
to do so let alone find a space in the fridge to do it.
Then it dawned on me to use a cooler.
Just make sure to put ice in the cooler
along with the brine and turkey and let
sit overnight. And also make sure to wash your cooler
out very good with hot water and soap and possibly
some bleach to clean and sterilize it.
One recipe said to soak it in water with
2 cups of kosher salt while another
recipe that was on the food channel yesterday
said you should also put 1/2 to 3/4 cup
brown sugar in with it also.

-------------------------------------------

Let's see what's on the agenda for today.
Doctor's appointment.
Carpet clean living & dining room (today or tomorrow)
Mop kitchen floor.
Floors are always done at last minute
due to them getting dirty so fast.
Dig out 2 table leaves and put into table.
Find some place mats to use on table
to keep from scratching it. I plan to remove
the table cover and expose the table for
holiday dinners. Hmmm wonder if I have
time to make 8 of them if I can't find any.
Also need to bring up the 2 captain
chairs out of the basement and 2 chairs from
kids bedrooms.
And to think I am cleaning house for Thanksgiving
only to have it wiped out Friday by getting
out Christmas decorations. Ahhh!

I'm hoping Tony won't have the pager after today
and hope since this is an unexpected absence of
a person at work that they divide up the week among
the maintenance men there instead of
pawning it off on one person.
Tony's supposed to have Thursday through Sunday
off work for the holiday.

----------------------------------------------

8:30-9:00am

Don't know how I did it in a half an hour
but as soon as the kids got on the bus I hurried home
and cleaned my carpets. Looks good, smells good
so one less thing I have to worry about.

Chillin for the moment then gonna get ready to
go see doc.

I found a roll of fabric in the basement
that looked to have batting in the middle of it
with fabric on both sides.
I might use this to make some place mats,
a table runner and some matching
hot pads out of. I know, only I could
think of even the darndest things to do
or make in the middle of doing everything else.

----------------------------------------

Was thinking more of ways to use cereal
to make things with and came up with this next idea.
What about a Dutch apple pie made with
a crushed frosted flakes crust and topped
with crushed frosted flakes???

---------------------------------------------------

9:45-2:55pm

I hate those days you think you're gonna pop into
the doctor's office then go home. Well this wasn't one
of them again. I ended up with 3 more prescriptions
and a chest xray. I told doc all about what
happened at the ER and about this cold/ congestion
that has been lingering since I've had my toe infection.
I'm not sure what caused everything-
cold, congestion, diarrhea, vomiting & dehydration.
It's either 1. from being on the antibiotic,
2. being the last one in the family to get the stomach virus
which he said as it's passed from one person to the next
the virus can worsen and the last person to get it
can feel the most effect from it.
or 3. having an infection to start with
could have made things worse.

He checked my lungs and said he could hear
the congestion and wheezing. He put me on an
inhaler with a spacer for asthma which I haven't had a problem
with in quite awhile. Then he also put me on
prednisone which is a steroid. He couldn't
do another antibiotic because I had recently been
on one. Then after the doctor's office I had to go
get a chest xray to check for fluid or whatever in
my lungs for the possibility of pneumonia.
I won't know those results right away.
You can have pneumonia without a fever
which I did not know. But at times I have
run a low grade fever between 100 to 101.

Somewhere in all this running me and mom
found time between the doctor's office,
radiologist, 2 visits to Kroger,
to get some lunch at McDonalds.

Then on the way home around 2:30pm
we stopped in the car lot.
And ya know I have been calm up until this
point. The guy I had been dealing with was not
there and another guy was. There was also
another customer in there. My car was not fixed
and I was pissed for getting the run around.
The one guy called the other guy on the phone
and told him "I was in a mode".
Mode huh? LOL! Be lucky I've had
the patience to have lasted this long!
I said 16 days of getting the run around and
not having my car, I'm getting tired of waiting
and I am taking the car today!
Call me when your mechanic is actually standing
on your lot and is ready to fix it.
I don't think it would have been so bad
had these people called me to let me know
what was going on rather than me making
3-4 trips up there to hear excuses every time.

I am so glad I was able to get my carpets
cleaned this morning. By the time I got
home, heck I felt like most of the day
was over with. Time for kids to get off the bus soon,
time to fix supper and so on.
The day has flown by.

-------------------------------------

3:30-5:00pm

I managed to get 8 place mats made
for Thanksgiving.
I even sewed lace along the edges of them all.
I didn't make them just for looks,
I made them because I didn't want my table
top scratched up.

These can be used for Thanksgiving
and Christmas due to their coloring.
Also if you flip it over the pattern and colors
on the back look like the center cream colored
stripe on the front and could be used
for Easter or Spring..-------------------------------------------

7:45pm

Got the turkey in the brine water.
I added 2 cups kosher salt
and 3/4 cup brown sugar to a large
canning pot. Then added the turkey
and filled with water.
When I get up tomorrow morning I will
rotate the bird in the brine.
Then tomorrow evening I will remove
the bird from the brine and rinse it then
set it back in an empty pot to rest in
the fridge til ready to bake Thursday.
I have an almost 19 pound turkey.
When I bake it I will coat/rub it with
some olive oil and add some apples,
celery, onions and carrots & seasoning to the inside.
..-----------------------------------------

9:00pm

Wearing thin. Just took my meds
and are ready for bed. Got a long list
of things to do tomorrow along with things
that didn't get done today.
Here's my inhaler I got today.
It included a spacer which gets more
medicine into your lungs.
Doc must think I really need this thing
because I'm supposed to take 2 puffs
every 4 hours as needed and I have 17 refills
for the next year!
Awhile ago doctor's wanted me to get
an in home breathing treatment machine
but I never got, probably due to costs
or feeling like I didn't need it that much.
.Still taking it slow and easy.
Got to because if I get upset or flustered
at something or someone then I start having coughing fits
if I start to raise my voice.
And I see this in the near future as I told
the kids they were spending their first day
off cleaning up their rooms!

Well I'm going nighty night early.
Didn't get a nap in today so am feeling
it at the moment. Plus inhalers can
make you feel a little shaky.