Dad and Me Cut a Tree!

"Children, listen carefully," said the man in the red knit cap.  "You are here to cut a Christmas tree.  What you may not know but soon will see is that the trees are scattered far and wide.   The good ones are cleverly hidden among the bare and sickly looking ones." 

"Also, to make it even more interesting, to us anyway, there are fewer good trees than families here to cut them.  On my mark you may rush through the pine branches searching for 'the one' or you may step over to the open hatch of my Subaru for a bite of stew, a homemade brownie baked by goodness knows who and some hot chocolate.  Of course, it is completely up to you which you do first." 

"Oh, you should know that we only have 3 saws to pass among all of you, they are small so I suggest allowing your children to do the cutting...

...so, with that said - Good Luck!"

Thank goodness my husband is the master at making things right when it comes to our kids and overcoming a poorly executed community event.  Next year we will be visiting a normal old tree lot and skip this "experience" of cutting our own.

Soup-er Saturday

Here is what we are trying out this weekend....

{photo courtesty of Betty Crocker.com}

Cheddar Melt Chili

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 1/3 cups hot water
1 box Hamburger Helper® Cheddar cheese melt
1 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa (any variety)
1 2/3 cups milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans (15 oz each) spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 large tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)


1. In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain.


2. Stir in hot water, sauce mix and uncooked pasta (from Hamburger Helper box), salsa, milk, chili powder and beans. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently.


3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.


4. Remove from heat; stir. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese and tomato.

Katie is heating things up at A List Makers Life with even more yummy soups, go on over and see for yourself.

35 of 52

 

Me and Lilly, being so silly,

while Daddy reads,

and I sneak in for a snuggle!

I'm a little late to the link up but all of the other Moms were right on time, go see them at Forever in Blue Jeans, if ya fancy a gander.

********************52 Weeks********************

52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. We are always the ones behind the camera, this is YOUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. We are glad you are joining this challenge. More importantly your family will really enjoy having you in the picture. Thanks for playing along! Oh, you can just jump in now with 1 of 52, you're not getting off that easy! Now go take a picture!

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Soup-er Saturday

Thanksgiving is a memory and Christmas is now officially in full swing.  Have you started your shopping yet?  How about planning the Yuletide menu?  I, personally, am going give this tummy warming soup a try. 

Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 pound fully cooked ham, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup diced peeled potatoes
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions
In a large saucepan, saute the ham, onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender. Add the next seven ingredients; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add peas and cook for 5 minutes longer or until heated through. Stir in parsley.
Yield: 8 servings (about 2 quarts).

The only thing that would make this soup even better would be a free ham to use in it.  Jingle bell hop on over to Katie's at A List Makers Life for your chance to win!

34 of 52

I did it! 

I finally attended and completed the Course 3 cake decorating class by Wilton. 

I learned fondant and it is all I had hoped it would be.  Using frosting to make flowers is an exact skill done with a careful hand, something I seem to lack.  Whereas fondant can be made and remade until it looks just right, it is fussy and so am I, a perfect pair!

For our final class the instructions were to make and assemble a two-tiered cake.  In light of the painful fact that I am getting sick of cake and have no desire to have it sit around my house, tempting me at every turn, I decided to make it for Thanksgiving instead.  Well, I really wanted to make an adorable sky blue cake covered in little fondant flowers, but that does not say "holiday" to me and thus felt the need to create a fondant turkey.  He turned out so cute.  Note: it does not bode well for the piped on border if you have had a few tasty 007 mixed drinks, which my dear sister Angie mixed very strong... and my hand was a bit unsteady

My play-doh like cake frosting medium inspired young Topher and he spent hours (no kidding) working on his own Thanksgiving turkey.  I baked him a special little cake to perch his artwork on.

A big thank you goes to my strange, yet loving little brother for snapping the pictures of our Thanksgiving cake adventures.  He couldn't resist being seen with the turkey bling.

Visit Forever in Blue Jeans for fun photos of great Moms.

******************52 Weeks********************

52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. We are always the ones behind the camera, this is YOUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. We are glad you are joining this challenge. More importantly your family will really enjoy having you in the picture. Thanks for playing along! Oh, you can just jump in now with 1 of 52, you're not getting off that easy! Now go take a picture!

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Life Skill: Gratitude

We have much to be thankful for.  It is important to us that the kids never take what the do have for granted and that they differentiate between WANTS and NEEDS.  That is a big bill to fill for children as we live in a me-me-me society that caters to demanding children with the need to be constantly entertained.  So, as the holidays approach, we step back from everyday life to be grateful and remember those who have supported us through the good and bad times.

To show our Gratitude to the special people in our lives we used these fun postcards from abcteach. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Soup-er Saturday

In honor of Thanksgiving this coming week I thought this would be a fabulous recipe.  With budgets stretched thin you are sure to make the most of the turkey while enjoying a warm and satisfying meal.  I can't wait to try it!

Homemade Turkey Soup Recipe

Ingredients
1 leftover turkey carcass (from a 10- to 12-pound turkey)
2 quarts water
1 medium onion, halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

Place the turkey carcass in a stockpot; add the water, onion, salt and bay leaves. Slowly bring to a boil over low heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Remove carcass; cool. Strain broth and skim off fat. Discard onion and bay leaves. Return broth to the pan. Add the carrots, rice, celery and chopped onion; cover and simmer until rice and vegetables are tender.

Remove turkey from the bones; cut into bite-size pieces. Add turkey and cream soup to broth; heat through.

Yield: 8-10 servings (about 2 quarts).

Now, lets think about ham... my favorite Christmas main dish.  Head over to A List Maker's Life to enter your recipe and have a chance to win a free ham.  Yum!!