Christmas/New Year celebration at the Grandparents house

Last night we went to my inlaw's house for a late Christmas/ early New Year's celebration.  We had intended for these to be seperate events but, my father-in-law contracted the flu and it landed him in bed for a week so all plans were put on hold.

We had a wonderful dinner and gift opening!  

The grandparents always make it special for the kiddos by doing something out of the ordinary .... this year it was a scavenger hunt.   Each child had 4 envelopes that they had to find.... every child was given their own color and had to find their envelopes that were hidden all over the house.  When every child had found all of their envelopes then they were permitted to open them.  To their surprise, each envelope contained a crisp new $5 bill!  :)  They were all thrilled!

The evening lasted until 10 pm and we were all exhausted and filled to the brim with cookies, pie and many other treats!  A great time was had by all .  :)

Now....on to the new year and more new events and memories to be made!

I pray that you all have a safe and exciting New Years Eve!

Happy New Year!

A bit early, I know, but I find myself making my lists for the new year and at the top of my list is getting back into blogging.  I have been an on again, off again blogger....mostly because life has been kind of hectic these past couple of months, but, the new year brings a "freshness" to our lives and I really want to make a commitment to including my bloggy friends!  :)

I started a list of things that I want to accomplish in 2013.  At the top of that list is planning my daughters wedding.  She is getting married on August 24th to a wonderful guy who we all Love!

We  think that they make the perfect couple.  They have complimenting personalities and are just an all around fun loving couple.  I am proud of them for their accomplishments and know that they have a very bright future ahead of them.

On to planning the wedding.....

We are making alot of the decorations (ie.- the table runners and the centerpieces) so there is MUCH to be done.  Thirty four tables and the head table means alot of flower arrangements and table runners to be made.

So, this brings me to the top of my 2013 list.... create something everyday! Now, don't get me wrong, I won't be commiting myself to making entire centerpieces or something like that everyday....however, there are many pieces to each centerpiece that need to be created.  There are candles that need cinnamon sticks attatched to....

Yes, I did a few already.  :)

Anyway, you get the 'jist'...I want to create something everyday.  And, not just wedding related....there are many other crafty items, clothing items, REMODELING items (ahem, I will tell you about that later)...that need my attention.

So, this is just the beginning....  I think 2013 is going to be a great year so stay tuned!

I'm Back.....again :)

This has been a very unpredictable Summer so far.  And, not necessarily in a good way.  Several weeks ago I had a scan of my left kidney and found out that I had a HUGE (1.7 cm) kidney stone lodged in it.  Doctor said that he had to do Lithotripsy (breaking up of kidney stone using intense sound waves) immediately.  So, we were scheduled for 'surgery' the following week.  They still call it Surgery because you are 100% under when they do it.

After the Litho....I was VERY sore...inside and out.  But, figured that everything would be fine after the bruising healed and all of the tiny pieces of kidney stone had passed.

3 Weeks Later:  We are to today.....and I am still having problems  :(  I had an xray on Friday and found out that the reason that I am STILL in pain is because apparently some of the stones are stuck!  Soooo....if this hasn't resolved itsself in the next 10 days (10 DAYS!) I will have to have real surgery to have the fragments removed.  To say that I am not exactly thrilled would be an understatement.

I am thankful that there is another way to resolve this....and, the Bible tells us that God will not extend to us more than we are able to bear!  I don't know how many of you have ever had Kidney stones but.....the pain rivals having a baby!  (NO kidding, folks!)  I do not relish having to deal with it for at least another 10 days.........

On a different note....My hubbys side business is taking off!  He has a show this weekend and one Scheduled for Sept. 8-9. For those who have NO idea what I am talking about because I have yet to set up my entire blog (LOL).... My Hubs and his brother have an Heirloom ride on toys business.  (All handmade by them).  Right now the interest lies in the Bi-Plane....so, they are concentrating on selling them at craft shows and Air Shows around our neck of the woods.  They do, however, have an etsy store. http://www.etsy.com/listing/98191122/wooden-ride-on-toy-bi-plane-airplane-toy
They are absolutely Darling ride on toys and alot of Love goes into making each and every one of them!

Yes, they have even made one for US Bank....it is sitting in their lobby at the branch in our town.

They are adorable heirloom toys and they make them finished (whatever design the customer wants ) or they  make them in kits for say ...daddy or mommy and kiddo to assemble together!)

Can you tell that I totally support their endeavor?!?  :)

Anyway,  Hope you all are having a wonderful Summer !!

It's the evening before....

I have surgery.  I am having a kidney stone removed tomorrow morning.  Not looking forward to it.  It is necessary as it has been increasing in size rather quickly and could permanently damage my kidney if not promptly removed.  


So, today has been a bit busy getting things arranged here at home so I do not need to be worrying about laundry, cooking, cleaning , etc for at least a few days.  Recovery shouldn't be more than 3-4 days.  Just have to be careful about lifting (not doing any) and I will be bruised and sore.


Today I have been on a clear liquid diet....so, what do I do????  I stroll pinterest for all of the great recipes!  Apparently I am into self torture.  :)


So.....in my last post I told you that my hubby and his brother were busy all weekend building airplanes.  I probably should be more clear and tell you that they are wooden airplanes.  :)  They are toys....ride-on toys to be exact.  Here is a link and you can take a look for yourselves :  http://www.etsy.com/listing/98191122/wooden-ride-on-toy-bi-plane-airplane-toy?ref=sr_gallery_1&sref=sr_545f1d33196f22907fb8d007cca734fc1ecf8dc5f9b7c8be396ccbf722842d4a_1343180311_14294515_wooden&ga_search_query=wooden+ride+on+toys&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_min=0&ga_max=0&ga_search_type=all


Well, it's time to have some more jello, grab a shower and head off to bed.   A 4:30 am wake up for me ....  Did I say I was NOT looking forward to this?!?


Have a wonderful evening! 

Busy Weekend

Well, so far it has been a very busy weekend. Hubby and his brother are building planes and I am getting the house cleaned and the shopping done.  Yesterday was an awesome day at Target.  I spent 78.33 , but, SAVED 122.34.  Coupons, coupons, coupons!  I love it when I can save almost twice as much as I've spent.  :)  I also love that Target has a bunch of their own coupons (http://coupons.target.com/ ) that you can stack with manufacturers coupons.  And with all of the back to school sales starting you can definitely score some great deals!


So, I'm working on getting the house cleaned really well because I will be 'out of commission' later this week.  I am having a kidney stone "blasted" on Wednesday.  According to my doctor, I will 'feel like I was hit by a truck' for about 48 hours after.  I'm soooo not looking forward to pain!  I haven't really had any pain with the stone, but, apparently it is large enough that it could damage my kidney if they don't get it out of there.


So, today I will be making my lists of things that must be accomplished before I get my procedure done.  (Like, hemming the curtains that I took down and washed in the livingroom and putting them back up before Wednesday).  :)


Hope you'all are having a wonderful weekend!

Best. Salad. Ever. !!

Oh Yes it is  :)

Chopped Kale, Matchstick carrots, shredded red cabbage, chunked up apples and some sunflower seeds....a light olive oil vinaigerette dressing......and a FORK!  This salad and garlic chicken are what we are having for dinner tonight.

Bad, Bad Blogger :(

Well...... my intentions were good.  How have I not blogged since January?!?  So, attempt #2 to getting this blog off the ground.

We are getting some seriously needed rain here in Minnesota today!  So happy to see this.  :)  My front lawn resembles a dry hay field with only the weeds surviving.  Tell me, how is it that the entire lawn can be brown and brittle but the random weeds are green and lush?!?

It has been one HOT Summer so far,  hasn't it?  We never have temps like this.  We have actually been in the triple digits.....that is UNHEARD of here!  I am beginning to think that Minnesota and Texas changed places when I wasn't looking!  :)

So, since my last blog entry (my only blog entry,  lol)...we have been working on remodeling my daughters room.  She has your basic 4 walls and a floor room and I wanted to make it something special.  We have primed and painted and redid (redoing) the closet.  I am working on refinishing and old armoire and we hope to finish the pallet wall (thank you, pinterest) today.  Pictures will follow, I promise.

Also, it is wayyyyy overdue that I do some freezer cooking.  I will be getting a list together today of ingredients needed to get some easy, throw in the microwave ,oven, crockpot food into the freezer.  It makes life sooooooo much easier to have something already thrown together that just needs to be thawed and cooked ....especially on days that it is too hot to think straight.

And, my pantry is simply depleted!  Time for a big "Sams Club" run to stock up again on the staples.  It's VERY hard on the budget to be out of 'everyday' items and have to make quick runs to the store.  I hate doing that because I know that I am overspending and that is something that we cannot afford to do these days.  We are on a "tighten the belt" budget because we have a child leaving for college next month and a child getting married next year.  (More on both of these things in future blog posts.)

Also, we are getting very close to the dreaded back-to-school shopping that has to happen.  I am already checking out sales on all of the supplies that my 11 year old will need. She has grown by leaps and bounds this summer so I know that NONE of her last year clothes are going to fit. I know this for sure because I just had to grab her some new shorts to make it thru the rest of the Summer.  And by new, I mean thrift store and garage sales.  I am not looking forward to cleaning out her closet....Im sure we will have nothing left and be starting from scratch  :(.

Well, it is time for me to sign off for now... I really must figure out what I am preparing tonight for dinner and then get to work on some cleaning and laundry.  Later today we will be working on my daughters room and there will be no time for extra chores.

Hope you all are having a great Summer and stay cool!

New Year, New Blog

Hi Everyone!
I can't believe that it is almost the end of January already.  
Believe it or not, I decided that today is the day that I begin Spring cleaning.  I 
am already tired of the winter "dust and crud".    I took down my kitchen curtains and they are in the washer and it is my intention to get ALL of my curtains washed this week.  It just gives the house a big breath of fresh air.  :)


I'm also working on some Freezer cooking.  Over the weekend I made 3 batches of granola bars, 20 breakfast burritos and about 20 taco meat, bean and cheese burritos.  Also, cookie dough to make 6 dozen chocolate chip cookies.  I flash froze cookie dough "blobs" so that they are ready to pop in the oven whenever we have a hankerin' for some warm cookies.


It is cold and snowy today so I decided it would be a great day to make some comfort food.  Homemade Chicken Potpie sounds like a winner for dinner.  (recipe to follow).


Well, its time to get to it!  Have a wonderful day, Everyone!


Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup of milk
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 large potato
thyme, salt, and pepper
2 refrigerated pie crusts
Steps:
Boil chicken breasts until done.
Wash, peel and dice large potato and boil.
Once the potatoes have cooked for about ten minutes, add in the two cups of frozen vegetables.
While vegetables are cooking, pull apart chicken, or cut into bite size pieces.
Cook vegetables til tender, then drain.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the chicken, soup, milk, vegetables, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Stretch one pie crust to fit the bottom of 9X13 casserole dish.
Dump mixture on top and spread around evenly.
Stretch other pie crust over that.  It’s okay if it’s not perfect.
Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until done.