O' Christmas Tree, O'Christmas Tree

Our $10.00 tree.  Yes, it only cost us $10.00! 

In years past, we typically have gone to a U-cut farm.   Where we end up spending half of the day, walking around a local Christmas tree farm, in the cold, wet mud in search of that "perfect" tree .  All the while children grumbling (and probably adults too) about this, that and the other (I'm cold, I'm hungry, my feet are wet)...then when we finally find *THE* tree one of us has to lay down in the muck to cut it (not going to be me!) AND then we have to haul it back to the car and tie it down on our roof.  AND probably pay anywhere from $30.00-$50.00 for it. (gasp)  (Can you tell not too much of a fan of these adventures these days...I know Bah, Humbug).

But this year, since I have been sick and we have a 7 month old baby we "cheated" and bought it at a local church tree lot. It was the easiest Christmas tree "adventure"  that I can ever recall.  I didn't even get out of the van.  My husband and 12 yr old picked it out, the tree lot volunteer hauled it to our van, put it on our roof, tied it down and off we went.  We were in and out of there in 10 mins!  Heck , you can't even go through a fast food drive thru that fast.

It was nice too because the trees were donated to the church tree lot to sell which is why they were able to turn around and sell them for cheap-cheap.  And the best part of it, is not only was it good on our pocket book, but the money they make is going to the Missions that East Hill support. 


It is a Win, Win, Win situation if you ask me. 

WIN for not having to traipse around in the cold looking for the perfect tree
WIN for our pocket book
WIN for the missions that the money is supporting


Here is our $10.00 tree...

And our Nativity Scene on top of our mantel...

And here is our Hayden using the tree skirt as a blanky...

All in unison now....Ahhhh...

Poached

Awhile back I did a post on making home made Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwhiches, kind of like the ones you can buy at Starbucks, but without the hefty price tag. 

I am taking it one step further.  Instead of cooking the eggs in a muffin tin so they come out perfectly round, I have purchased a "microwave egg poacher." 

Didn't I tell you I like to cut corners?  Any time I can shave a few minutes off what ever I am doing without compromising the end result, I am there...


Anyways, back to the egg poacher.  I bought one at Ross for $2.99!  And so far it has worked wonderfully.   I made myself an egg and cheese breakfast sandwhich yesterday morning using my new gadget.

It is so simple to use.  You break an egg into each side of the poacher.  Poke the yolk with a fork, add a teaspoon of water to each side, close and snap lid. Microwave for 1 min or so with two eggs.  I only did one egg so I microwaved for 45 seconds. 

Toast my english muffin, slap the egg onto the muffin, add a slice of cheese and/or canadian bacon or ham.  Fold into a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds for cheese to melt.  (If you add canadian bacon or ham I would recommend heating that up separately for a little bit longer).

There you have it...It is quick, it is easy and it is cheap!  No more excuses to pay $3.00-$4.00 for that breakfast sandwhich when you can make your own at a fraction of the price!

You can also use the grill side of the poacher to reheat pre cooked breakfast meats such as sausage, bacon, ham, etc....

Aging Gracefully...Really?

Who coined this term anyways?  Aging gracefully....whatever!  Somebody obviously with good genes (and jeans)...Someone who found the fountain of youth?  Someone with money to spend on plastic surgery and botox?

It's official I am aging (but not with grace).  My daily look in the mirror tells me so.  As I was looking in the mirror TODAY I noticed a few "newer" hairs....Yeah, hairs as in plural...and they were on my chin!  Give me the tweezers, stat!

What is up with that?  I am not that old!  Why do I have hair on my chin?  I thought only men got hair on their chin?  And my upper lip...I need a wax job!

And well my crows feet around my eyes, they have their own feet (and are procreating as I type this).  Thank  you mom for those! 

Baggies under my eyes, man, I could pack a lunch in them!  Or a couple!

My laugh lines around my mouth I am ok with those...that means I have many reasons to laugh and smile, which I do...

Saggy b**bs and the muffin top, don't even get me going on those; 4 kids later; need I say more plus this is a family blog so I better be careful.

And my hair, lets just say I will be dying it real soon....

Car Sick

As I get into my car Tuesday afternoon, I hear the dreaded "ding, ding, ding" and my heart starts racing, palms start feeling clammy, stomach gets a little queasy...I know what that sound is...

And then I start to pray...

"God, just get me home safe". 

"Please don't break down, Please don't break down, Please don't break down"...I say all the way home...

My car isn't that old (nor am I).  It doesn't have that many miles (nor do I).  It is a 2006 with 55k miles so my first thought to myself was, this is weird...I have maintained her (for the most part).  She gets her oil changed every 3 months.   I bathe her and vacuum her often.  Make her smell pretty and she hasn't needed any major work done on her yet. 

But apparently she is not feeling well.  Her check engine light came on.  What  a coincidence, because I was not feeling well either.  I haven't been feeling well off and on for a few weeks.  This little cold has been hanging on for dear life.

And now my car is sick of all things!  As I am driving to pick up the kids from Grandmas that afternoon, I threw a (pity) party for myself.  I literally started crying as I was driving...Thinking about how much it was probably going to cost to fix, wondering why did this have to happen now right before Christmas, when I am sick and stressed at work, just something else to have to worry about...Man, this stinks! (I know Murphy's Law...darn that Murphy.  I wish he would go away!)

I take the day off from work on Wednesday.  Lay low hoping that with some extra rest, it would do the trick and get me back on my feet.  Check engine light still on.

Thursday...still feeling crummy, check engine light still on...decided I am going to make an appointment with my doctor to see what the heck is going on with me.

I go visit my doctor, who thankfully, I don't have to visit very often.  Apparently, I have bronchitis and a sinus infection.  Antibiotics and Sudafed prescribed. 

I go get in the car to leave the doctors office. Turn on car.  I no longer hear the dreaded "ding, ding, ding!"  What?  I quickly look at my dashboard and wait.... Check engine light IS NO LONGER ON!  Yeah!  How weird is that? A sign?  I think so...God works in mysterious ways...

It is now Friday and my car is running fine (it was running fine even when the check engine light was on ) and I am feeling much better too.  Thanks for asking.  Those antibiotics work fast.  Give me a few more and I will feel like a million bucks..now if only I had a million bucks (that's a whole other post).

5 on Friday

Another 5 ingredient main dish that I prepared this week.  Too bad I couldn't taste it.  I have been fighting a bad cold that has since turned into a full blown sinus infection and bronchitis.  I was told they smelled and tasted good.  I will definitely have to cook them again when my smell and taste come back.

 

Now this dish wouldn't normally be a 5 ingredient dish but because I took a short cut, it worked out to be just that...

 

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers
• 1-2 pounds ground beef
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (with celery and onion bits)  **This is my shortcut. Counted as one item even though really 3 separate items had I used fresh items**
• 1 cup cooked  brown rice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions 

1. In a large skillet, cook beef until browned. Drain off excess fat.
2. Stir in the can of diced tomatoes, continue to simmer on low.
3. Cook 1 cup of brown rice based on cooking directions until tender. 
4. Mix beef and tomatoes into pot of brown rice. 
5. Slice your green peppers in half, remove seeds and "innards"
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C).
7. Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a lightly greased casserole baking dish.
8. Bake  for 25 to 35 minutes.
9. Sprinkle Mozzarella Cheese on top of peppers the last 5 minutes.

I paired this with corn as the side dish.  To spice it up a little bit more you can also use salsa instead of the the diced tomatoes.

Enjoy!