An eventful pit stop in Tennessee

Last week we tackled the 14 hour drive from Dallas to Louisville to spend the holidays with my family. After driving through the night we decided to take a little break and stop for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel afterwards we slept for about an hour in the parking lot. For us this is normal.

From there we drove thru a Starbucks and ordered some grande drinks and a scone. The line was pretty long, but we knew it would be worth it, we still had many hours of driving ahead of us. When we got to the window the barista told us that it was already paid for. When we looked confused, she said that the person in front of us took care of it. The "secret santa" was a man driving a black truck with a tractor supply co. tool box in his truck bed. It was a totally random act of kindness. Maybe he saw the two weary travelers with a car full of luggage and a baby and he just wanted to spread a little holiday cheer. So far we were really liking Tennessee.

After that we decided we needed to get out and stretch our legs for a little bit so we stopped at a nearby mall. Of course we would happen to pick the one mall full of designer stores that we could only dream of shopping at. Even on my best day I don't blend well in the posh scenes, but especially not after being in a car for over 10 hours. When it comes to road trips comfort trumps style and this includes slippers. I choose to believe that we looked more fashion forward than homeless, although it is all subjective.

As we were making our way past each of the high end shops, none of which we ever actually stepped foot in, we people watched as the affluent shoppers scurried about picking up last minute Christmas gifts. One woman in particular stuck out to me with her red hair that looked like she must have an exceptional stylist. As she walked off my husband turned to me and said "that was Reba McEntire." NO WAY! I gasped, I didn't even recgonize her, he must be mistaken. Then as I turned around to see the store she walked out of all the employees and customers were just as star struck as I and trying to discretely catch another glimpse of the country music legend. As much as I wanted to I didn't say hi or take pictures. I was curious though about who she was with. After some brief online research I figured out that it was her son that she was out shopping with. I know it is somewhat stalker like, whats funny though is that out of all the celebrities out there I never would have thought Reba would be the one I would end up googling about her personal life.

So that was our brief brush with Nashville. Sleeping at Cracker Barrel, free coffee from a stranger at Starbucks, and a star sighting all in a days work. I doubt the trip home will be as eventful, but I guess we'll see.

Look Back and Laugh: Cure for the Sweet Tooth

I was using my parents espresso machine to make pumpkin spice lattes for my family this week and I had a flash back to middle school.

I have always had a sweet tooth, even back then. If you have ever seen that Seinfeld episode were George eats an eclair dessert out of the trash then you have an idea of the dilemmas I face daily with my chocolate addiction.

When you make a cappuccino there are always espresso grounds that have to be dumped out and it usually looks something like this...


So when I passed one of these cookie like remains that were sitting on a plate in the kitchen I just could not pass it up. Without a second thought I shoved what I thought to be a chocolate brownie bite into my mouth only to immediately spew the coffee grounds out all over the kitchen. YUCK! I learned my lesson about eating espresso grounds, but contrary to this blog's title I was not "cured" from wanting to eat all things sweet.

City of the Month #4: Cincinnati

December has just flown by, it's almost over and I have yet to feature a city of the month. They say there is no place like home for the holidays and for me home is Cincinnati. That is why it only seems fitting to have this month's city be Cincinnati. There are 7 people in my family and I asked each one of them to share their favorite thing about the area. Therefor I have compiled a list of my top 7 favorite things to do, eat, or see around the Cincy area.

1. Cincinnati chili - Cincinnati has more than 180 chili parlors, making it the chili capital of the nation and quite possibly the world. If you aren't from the area than you might be surprised by the unique flavor and the mounds of shredded cheese that accompany it. Give it a try and you might just be hooked for life.

2. Union Terminal- The architecture alone is a must see. This 1930's railroad terminal building is now a museum center which includes an omnimax theater.

3. Graeter's Ice cream- The oldest continuous ice cream maker in the country. Endorsed by Oprah, and me (and everyone knows I am an ice cream connoisseur.)

4. Fountain square - The heart of Cincinnati. As a photographer some of my favorite shots where taken in Fountain Square. I love to go year after year to visit the outdoor skating rink that opens up every winter.

5. Sawyer Point- This mile long riverfront park is alongside the shore of the Ohio river. It's entirely free and open year round, but my fondest memories are playing in the water at the serpentine wall on a hot summer day.

6. Purple People Bridge - It is a one of a kind pedestrian only bridge that allows people to cross over the Ohio river from Ohio to Kentucky. It got it's name because it's a purple bridge for people. Although the official name is the Newport Southbank Bridge, it just doesn't have the same ring to it, so it never caught on.

7. Sports- Although I am not the most athletic I know how to route for the home team, and that would be the Cincinnati Reds in the Great American Ballpark stadium or if you are more a football fan you can see the Bengal's at the Paul Brown Stadium.

There is so much more, but it's the kind of thing you have to see for yourself. This is just a glimpse of my hometown Cincinnatalie, I mean, Cincinnati.

Froogie Boogie: Tips for better gas mileage

When gas prices were soaring all you heard about was hybrid vehicles and fuel conservation awareness. These days things are looking up, but that is no excuse to slack off. When you spend less on gas it not only helps to save our environment it also saves money. Especially if you are traveling this holiday season, like we are, it is still good to know what you can do to save money at the pump.

Here are some of the questions that I have had and the answers I have found about getting the most mileage out of your gas tank.

1. Does running the air conditioning use up gas?

Yes it does, but so does having your windows down. Your best bet is to have your windows down when you are driving slower (less than 40 mph) and when on the highway keep them up to increase the aerodynamics of your vehicle.

2. Does running the heat in your car use up gas?
Nope, your car gets it's heat source through an already very warm engine. Yeah! We all get to stay warm and get good gas mileage too!


3. If I my car is idling is it better to just shut it off and restart it or should I keep it running to save gas?
If your car is idol for even as little as a minute go ahead and turn your car off, or you will be wasting gas.

4. Why do smaller cars get better gas mileage than a standard SUV?

In general the heavier the car (including what you put in it) the lower the gas mileage, the higher up the car is will create more wind resistance and make for lower mileage. Also the engine, the more powerful it is the more gas it takes.

5. Does speed effect my gas mileage?

Yes it does. The faster you go the more you fuel you burn. The more important factor however is that you MAINTAIN a consistent pace. Having to use brakes or accelerate frequently is the worst thing for your fuel efficiency.So, use cruise control when possible.

I know am not the most qualified to talk about driving, my husband would be the first one to verify that (probably a little too enthusiastically), but I have done my research and I recommend checking out
the Utah Geological Survey site and www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportaion for more information on how to conserve gas. To everyone that is on the roads this season, have a happy and safe journey.

"Extended" Family

We didn't have a lot of extended family nearby when I was growing up, but our house was always full. My parents took in foster kids for a while during our time in Kentucky. There was one boy in particular that really stuck with us. Not just in length of time at our home, but the place he had and always will have in our hearts as well. I remember the year that he and his sister were with us for Christmas.

His sister was actually a part of a children's home, but she did have some time set aside for visitation with her brother. This Christmas was part of that time. She not only received gifts from us, but there were loads of presents from the children's home too. Every other presents was for her and in the end her pile of loot tripled each one of ours.
They had been through so much and this was their chance to just be kids enjoying the fun filled family Christmas that they deserved. I know we all enjoyed it just as much as they did.

I learned at a young age that the gift of true joy and fulfillment is more than just opening up presents, but it is opening up your home and your heart. I am happy to report that both kids were adopted by an amazing couple and they have still kept some contact with us and are doing well.

Look Back and Laugh: Gift Exchange

The Ladies Christmas party at our church is something that I look forward to every year. This year they announced that we would be having a white elephant gift exchange. To me this equates to "gag" gift. My mind was reeling with ideas about what I could bring. I imagined what all the other women would come up with and how much we would all be laughing when we opened them.

The night of the party the presents were divvied out amongst the 30 women and on the count of 3 everyone tore into their packages. I got some St. Nicholas square appetizer plates that were still in the box. They didn't seem very funny to me and as I looked around the room at all the other gifts every single one of them was some kind of nice home interior piece, or Christmas decoration. No gag gifts whatsoever. I was so confused, but most importantly I thought about the recipient of my present.

Then I spotted a women around my mom's age cocking her head with a gift bag that including a Tae Bo video accompanied by some Zip Fizz energy powder. Yeah, that would be my gift. I felt so bad for her that I went over to offer her the appetizer plates that I received. Without any explanation I said "Here, I will trade you. Take my gift, I insist." She declined the offer because THAT WAS THE GIFT THAT SHE BROUGHT. What are the odds?

I wish I could say that at least we got some good laughs out of it, only it wasn't funny to her at all. I pulled some strings (I've got connections) and I got her a different gift that she could get more enjoyment out of. Although I don't know what could be more enjoyable than watching a sweaty bald guy in spandex.

The Most Memorable Christmas

As I look back over the years there are some Christmases that I don’t remember at all, while others are forever ingrained in my mind. For my family we will always remember the last Christmas we had with my little brother.

I have shared stories before about my little brother and his battle with Leukemia. For years he was in and out of the hospital. This particular winter he was there exclusively. When it snowed we brought it to him in a Tupperware container so that he could enjoy some of it too. For Christmas our family of six piled in the tiny hospital room full of presents and our attempts at decorations. I remember getting a life size doll that year. By life size I mean she was probably 3 feet tall. When you are little good things do not come in small packages no matter what anyone tries to convince you. So you can image I was thrilled to see this gigantic present all wrapped up with my name on it!

It might not seem like the picture perfect Christmas. My parents finances were stretched to the limits and we were barely getting by, we were away from home, our youngest family member had a terminal illness, but somehow that is the Christmas that we all look back on and agree was our favorite Christmas as a whole. We had the gift of time, precious time as a family. It didn't matter if there were fluorescent lights instead of a fireplace, or doctors and nurses instead of grandparents and cousins. It was our last family Christmas all together and there were no disappointments because we cherished it in that moment not knowing what the future would bring and we still cherish it today.

Life Aquatic and Waffle House

My family may be a little odd at times, but at least we are all odd together. Many of our holiday gatherings fall short of the average American traditions. That is unless you consider eating at the waffle house and then going to the movie theater to catch the premiere of The Life Aquatic a typical family Christmas. That would be a summery of December 25, 2005 for us.

This year we plan on going to see Marley and Me. I can assure you that wherever we go we will be leaving HUGE tips and lots of holiday cheer!

I think the biggest Christmas tradition no matter who you are or where you are from is GIVING. It all began with God's gift to the world, sending his son and that is of course why we celebrate. There are so many great opportunities around this time of year and it is a big tradition for us to buy gifts for children in need each Christmas. I look forward to my son being old enough to understand what this tradition is all about. Yes, I know we should be giving all year round, just like at Thanksgiving we should be thankful all year round, but why not give MORE just for the occasion? That is what Christmas is all about giving to each other and giving to those in need.

All this talk about decorating, eating, and giving is making me revved up for the big week we have coming up. We leave tomorrow to go to Kentucky to be with that crazy family of mine. I will be sure to leave some updates. In the meantime everyone have a safe, fun, and blessed holiday!

The best tradition of all- FOOD

Christmas 2001


Food is a very important part of the traditional holiday celebration, is it not? Okay, so maybe food is a very important part of anything I write about, but that is beside the point. One of my fondest childhood memories was having fresh from the oven sticky pecan rolls for breakfast on Christmas day. Since then our traditions have evolved as we have all grown up, although I do still love sticky pecan rolls (in my family it is pronounced sticky "pe-can" rolls just like it is spelled.)

Since we live far away from each other we are usually all under one roof for about a week once every year. So in 2001 we started our first holiday cook off between me and my siblings. To give my mom a break we each take a turn at preparing a meal for the family. Dinner is usually followed by another grown up family tradition and that is our annual hot toddies. It is the one time of year I have a little something to drink and also the one time my husband helps in the kitchen, although these two things are not necessarily corollated. I think my favorite contribution to the cook off was a dish that my husband and I served up called Zinfandel-Braised Beef Brisket. It was actually just a recipe we found in a newspaper, but it turned out really great and I think it is worth sharing.



2 cups zinfandel or other
fruity, dry red wine

½ cup fat-free, reduced-sodium
chicken broth

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 (2 ½ -pound) beef brisket, trimmed

2 teaspoons salt (divided use)

½ teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper (divided use)

Nonstick cooking spray

8 cups sliced sweet onion
(about 4 medium)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons dried thyme
(divided use)

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut
into ( ½ -inch) slices

2 celery stalks, cut into
( ½ -inch thick) slices

1 ½ pounds small red potatoes,
cut into quarters

1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 325
Combine wine, chicken broth and tomato paste, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook for 8 minutes, browning both sides. Remove beef from pan; cover and set aside.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, onion, sugar and 1 teaspoon thyme to pan. Cook on stovetop 20 minutes, or until onions are tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, carrots and celery; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place beef on top of onion mixture; pour wine mixture over beef. Cover and place in oven.
Roast in the oven for 13/4 hours.
While the beef cooks, place potatoes in a large bowl. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, oil, oregano and red pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on a jellyroll pan coated with cooking spray.
Remove beef from oven; turn beef over. Place potatoes on lower rack in oven. Cover beef; return to oven. Bake potatoes and continue roasting beef at 325 F for 45 minutes, or until beef is tender. Remove beef from oven; cover and keep warm. Increase oven temperature to 425 F. Place potatoes on middle rack in oven, bake 15 minutes longer, or until crisp and edges are browned.
Remove beef from pan; cut across the grain into thin slices. Serve with onion mixture and potatoes. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 8 servings (about 3 ounces beef, 3/4 cup onion mixture and 1/2 cup potatoes).

Froogie Boogie: This years Christmas cards

One of our biggest and most anticipated Holiday traditions is creating a Christmas card every year that is a unique expression of who we are as a family. Some cards have cost us more than others, but I try to be aware of where I can cut corners and save as much as possible.

My husband and I always have a great time working together as a team on these cards. This year I took the photos and we collaborated on the design and editing.


Inside we had a family photo attached with double sided tape and a simple message and scripture verse.


We used wink flash for our cards because they were having a 40% off sale making them 89 cents or less. This sale is still going on so even though it is too late to order Christmas cards you could use this offer for thank you cards. Just use the coupon code GREATCARD08.

I also ordered our family photos from Costco, which is inexpensive and good quality. I put 2 photos per 4x6 and sliced them in half making them less than 7 cents a piece.

Lastly, the converse shoes I am wearing in the photo were borrowed from a friend of mine. I contemplated purchasing my own, but I just didn't need another pair of casual shoes, so I saved $40.00 there. A couple years ago we did cards decked out in fun winter layers.

Many of these items, including the jacket, hat, and boots, were all borrowed from friends. Your choice of clothing can be a big part of your Christmas photos, but that doesn't mean you have to run out and buy a bunch of stuff strictly for the photo op. Most models don't get to keep their clothing.

From my family to yours, have a fun, festive, and frugal Christmas!

Christmas Decorations

Part of my job as a freelance photographer is photographing beautiful homes for a local magazine.I just got back from shooting a historic home that was very elaborately decorated for the holidays. They were getting ready for a dinner party that they are going to be throwing tomorrow night. As I walked into this magical antique winter wonderland I began clicking away at every little detail. They had garland and cranberries wrapped around their stair case, poinsettias in the parlor, Santa hats on the animals in the trophy room, and Christmas soaps in the powder room. This home was definitely magazine worthy.

My home on the other hand is more of an explosion, this goes for anytime of year, but at Christmas it is customary for it to become a red and green explosion. Pretty much anything goes. I have a glass angel snow globe from my husbands former employer next to a dancing Christmas tree I got as a gag gift. The above photo is of my family's Christmas tree from a couple years ago. The white stuff is packaging popcorn. You get so much of it around this time of year, why not put it to good use.



I think the beautiful themed Christmas arrangements that you see in the stores are great, but as for me the cheesier the better. So if you ever get me any Christmas decorations, no gift receipt necessary, I'll find a place for it somewhere.

Games, Games, and more GAMES!

We had a little Christmas party with the college group at our church last week. All day my husband had been trying to get a hold of me to tell me to bring our game collection, but he was unsuccessful. So when I showed up he was frantic. "We have no games! What are we going to do?" he said.
"Don't worry" I told him. This is a job for super wife. I ran over to Walmart to buy a new game that we didn't already own. I picked Family Fued because I LOVE family fued and have wanted it for a long time, but never had an excuse to buy it. In the end we all had a lot of fun and I got a new game out of it.

Taking time out to just goof off and play games is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. My husband's family got together on Sunday for a family Christmas game night and we had a blast. Hand and Foot was the choice game that evening. Then last night we played wii until the wee hours of the morning. I am not good at video games though. It's a bad sign when people start inserting your name as an insult to other players. Grrrr...

I have so many favorite games I don't think I could narrow it down, but I do love Catch Phrase, Spades, and Mad Gab to name a few. I am always open to new fun games to play so I would love to hear about your favorites too.

Look Back and Laugh: Mailing My Bills to Santa

A few years ago (before I paid all my bills online) I was in a hurry and went to drop some payments off at the post office. It was Christmas time and there was a drop box that said "Letters To Santa." It was just like a regular post office box, but I thought maybe it was just decorated for the holidays. Once I dropped off my bills I started doubting the validity of the mail box. So I went inside and asked about it. I was then told that was Santa's mailbox and it went to the north pole.

Oh Crap, I really thought it was legit! Some doors say "Santa's Workshop" and things like that, it doesn't mean that you are literally about to enter into Santa's workshop. They had someone come out and assist me to get my bills out and put them in the proper mailbox. That would have been horrible if I had just left them in there and ended up with a lot of late payments. Then again Maybe Santa would have paid them for me. Hmmm, I might have to try that sometime.

Not So Traditional Family Traditions

Ah, Christmas. A time to reflect and enjoy some of the annual holiday traditions that are passed down through the generations. For some it is decorating the tree the day after Thanksgiving. Others like to read the Christmas story on Christmas eve or get Pez and Cracker Jacks in their stocking. We did all of these things. I will admit though, it hasn't always been that Norman Rockwell in my family. Either way I am taking this week to reflect of my families Christmas traditions. They may be Wacky, some even say Tacky, but it is always fun and that is what I am all about.

Deals for the Week- I paid tax?

I did have any earth shattering deals. I need some disposable diapers because we are going to Kentucky for Christmas/New Years and so I thought I would use up some of my ECB's. I got all of the above for $1.49

Here is the weird part, I gave more than enough ECB's to walk out with paying nothing out of pocket, but the cashier couldn't get the tax to go away. I kept giving more ECB's and they just wouldn't scan. She asked her manager over, no one could do anything about it or explain why. I have never had this happen before. It's not that I mind paying $1.49 for 2 jumbo packs of diapers, but I am wondering if this is something that I should expect from now on. Anyone else have an experience like this?


(2) 34 count packs of Huggies- $10 each -(2) $1.00 Q
(2) 80 count packages of Huggies wipes- $3.00 each
1 Powerade- $1.59

-$18.69 ECB's
-%25 off mail Q ($6.78)

Total OOP= $1.49

Earned ECB's= $6.59

From the Mansions of Dallas to the Villages of Africa

I began this week talking about a my little excursion through the upscale part of Dallas. It was a fun venture with beautiful sites and petty conversion. Since then I experienced something that me look at where we are, who we are, and what we are doing from a entirely different perspective. That is why I would like to finish off this week with a slide show I put together of the African Children's choir. They ministered to us on Thursday evening at our church. You could call it a concert, but that just doesn't seem fitting. They touched our hearts as they poured out their worship to the Lord. I will never forget these kids. They came from some of the most impoverished and war torn villages, as orphans and street kids. Now they are serving God around the world through their beautiful powerful gift of song and dance. I was moved to tears by it all. You might be thinking "yeah, well you cried watching Charlie Brown's Christmas too", but this time I wasn't the only one. Everyone in the room felt it. Grown men were crying. It is something you would have to experience for yourself. For more information including, opportunities to help, tour schedules, and music check out www.AfricanChildrensChoir.com

This song is called Ndyahimbisa from the album It Takes A Whole Village.





*** Choir 32 will continue to be touring all over Texas through February!***

Froogie Boogie: Free Christmas Fun

Every Friday I post a different money saving tip and I call it the Froogie Boogie. Well, today is Saturday and I didn't do the Froogie Boogie yesterday. Why not? I was too busy having fun in Bethlehem. Not the real Bethlehem of course, but pretty close. It's called Bethlehem Revisited and it is a mock up of what it would have been like back when Jesus was born. It was a lot of fun and we already have plans to go again next year. Thursday night we saw the African Children's Choir which was also an amazing experience. Both events were free, but they also accepted donations which I think is great because I would rather give money to a worthy cause than have to fork out tons of cash at a theater or a theme park.

There is all kinds of fun activities this time of year that are available for little or no cost. With gas prices being so low right now just think of how many Christmas lights you could see for a couple bucks. You will have to check with your local church or chamber of commerce to find out what kind of Christmas productions and activities are available in your area. You might be spending a little more throughout the holiday season, but at least you can save on entertainment!

Why I love: The Battery Powered Frother

My husband got a milk frother my from my parents as a Christmas gift several years ago and we love it. One of the best things about fancy coffee drinks compared to the standard cup of joe is the foam. If you are wanting to save a little mula by making some of your lattes at home, but you miss the frothy topping, fret no more. All you need is a battery powered milk frother. In fact if you are like me and that is one of your favorite parts you can add foam "till the cows come home" (sorry, I had a teacher that used that expression and it just came back to me.)

These little gadgets are easy to use, inexpensive, and I think we are proof that they make great Christmas gifts too. They cost around $10.00 and you can get them at places like Target, or select coffee shops. They run on 2 AA batteries, which seem to last forever.

A hand milk frother is basically just a tiny propeller whisk that you use to froth your milk if you don't have a cappuccino machine. They can also work for home made whipped cream, which is the best kind. The picture above is of a pumpkin spice latte that I made with the recipe I posted on here the other day. I can usually do more light and fluffy froth, but I was in hurry. Tis season, for givings receiving, frothing and drinking. Here's to the battery powered frother!

Christmas Movies

It just isn’t Christmas without watching a few Holiday themed movies. I just watched the Charlie Brown Christmas special a couple nights ago and I can’t help but get teary eyed. The part where Linus explains what Christmas is all about and then at the end when he says “I never thought it was such a bad little tree.
It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” Goodness gracious, somebody get the tissues.

Don’t miss all your favorites, find out what Christmas movies are on when, at chiff.com. They give an extensive holiday specials line up for 2008. There are a lot of Christmas Classics new and old that I enjoy, but if I had to narrow it down, my top three would probably be...

1. Trapped in paradise – This is the one Christmas movie my family watches every year. The cast includes Nicholas Cage, John Levitz, and Dana Carvey so you know It’s a hilarious and I believe it would be what they call a “feel good” movie.

2. A Muppets Christmas Carol- This movie is not only my favorite version of a chrismas carol, but it is my favorite Muppets movie too. It is really funny and I love the music. Directed by Brian Henson, and starring Michael Caine with the Muppets of course!

3. White Christmas- Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.I used to HATE this movie when I was a kid. Now though, I just can’t get enough of the music, the dancing, and that 1950’s charm. If you are going to sing about my favorite getaway (Vermont) then you’ve got me hooked.


I am not a sucker for all things Christmas though. I hate claymation, that means Rudolph is out. The Little Drummer Boy too, ever since I was little the clay creations scared me. These days I can tolerate them somewhat, but I still find it all to be a little bit creepy. I am also not a big fan of the disfuncuntional family films that seem to premiere every year. Last year was "This Christmas" and "The family Stone" , this year is "Four Christmases" and "Nothing Like the Holidays". I have never seen these movies so I don't know if they are any good or not. My thoughts are if I want good old fashioned family drama, I don't have to pay money to see it, if you know what I mean.

Those are pretty much my picks for Christmas Flicks. What about you? Any favorites?

Look Back and Laugh: Christmas Breakups

I don't know how, but when I was in High School it seemed like I was always going through some kind of break up just before Christmas. More than once I exchanged Christmas gifts with EX boyfriends just to be civil. It's quite the sob story.

My Junior year was the worst! I met with my "ex" at his house to give each other the gifts we had already bought before the breakup . All of his friends were there to witness the awkward rendezvous, so that was nice. Not really.

We unwrapped the gifts. I got him a Good Fellows poster and he gave me a watch. Then he handed me a stuffed frog that sang Christmas songs. It was really cute. We quickly thanked each other and said our goodbyes. I walked out to my car by myself in the cold. It was pretty pathetic, but then out of nowhere I heard him call my name.

He had come back. Did he want to give me a proper goodbye away from his friends? Had he changed his mind about that freshman girl and realized that he never should have dumped me? What could he possible have to say?

As he approached me the words that he said hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Can I have the frog back?" he said. "My grandma gave it to me for Christmas? I was just showing it to you."

WHAT!? Why didn't you tell me that? Why did you just hand it to me as part of our gift exchange? All of these thoughts were flooding my mind as I willing handed over the stupid, ugly, frog. Eventually my face would return to it's natural color after turning such a deep shad of red from the embarrassment of it all. Oh well, I guess that's what I get for dating such a poor communicator.

Christmas Lights

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go;
Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the lights. I love driving at night around this time of year. It just makes me smile.
A couple nights ago my husband and I were in the nicer part of Dallas where all the mansions are. It didn’t take long to notice that these people spared no expense when it came to their Christmas décor. There were horse drawn carriages giving tours about the city, and limos taking the local residents to and from their holiday affairs.

We decided to make an event of it and went around looking at all the lights. As we roamed the streets we sipped hot chocolate and listened to a Bing Crosby Christmas album. We oohed and ahhed over the extravagant displays. We both agreed that our favorite part was being able to see inside the windows and catch a glimpse of the lavish interiors. With all the houses lit up at night it was as though they were intentially inviting us to peer into their glamourous lifestyles.

We talked about what our dream home would consist of and we discussed what we liked and disliked about the area. Somehow our conversation gradually turned into a debate about the social classes. I won’t say who said what, but it sounded something like this:

“Most people don’t understand us. We live way below the national average”
“I don’t think so I think we are just normal, we are middle class”
“Way lower middle MAYBE”
“What do you think middle class is!?”
“I AM JUST SAYING most people have things that we don’t have”
“ Compared to THESE PEOPLE, yeah.”
“NO really, we live far below the national standard.”
“Do you know there are people out there that would only dream of going to Starbuck’s”
“Drinking coffee doesn’t make you middle class”
“ WHATEVER, I can’t prove this to you, but I am going to look it up when we get home”
“ Okay you go ahead and google it.”

And as we passed by all the twinkling lights, the music continued to play in the background,
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

My favorite holiday cookies

Last week I counted up my loose change, took a defensive driving course online, and I even ordered a book and an herb garden kit for my reversed New Year’s resolution. Although I know this is all sooo interesting, I am ready to move on and go full swing into the Christmas festivities. I’ve already been busy at work baking my favorite holiday cookies.

The recipe is really simple and you can find it on the back of any bag of Craisins original dried cranberries. They are good at anytime of year, but the cranberries with the white chocolate are colors that make me think CHRISTMAS! So here’s to kicking off the holiday season with the oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chunk cookie recipe:


INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

You better watch out

I started out this week talking about how I was going to wait on going crazy for Christmas so that I could focus on other responsibilities. It has been one hectic, but productive week. Thus the reason for so few blog post, including the absence of my weekly deals. I didn't even have time to go shopping. Next week though, it's no holds barred! So you better watch out... You better not cry, you better not pout. Uh yeah, you get the idea.

Froogie Boogie: Spare Change

Saving money by collecting your spare change is the oldest frugal trick in the book. It seems like everybody wants me to do something different with my change. Some suggest saving it up for a vacation or to sponsor a needy child, and the list goes on. I thought I had heard it all, then the other day Rachel Ray said you should save all your loose change to make a healthy food fund!? It surprises me that the money with the least amount of value seems to have the most worth when it comes to this concept of savings.

We have a couple coin jars here and there. My son even has a little plastic bank that he managed to break open the other day. So when I heard about this Coinstar deal* on the thrifty mama it actually got my attention.

There is a holiday special going on right now that gives you a $10 bonus for any amount of change over $40 that is put on a gift card. I didn't really expect to have that much, but I thought maybe I could round up some more quarters at the store. However, after gathering all the coins from around the house it turned out to be more than enough!

If you have saved up any change overtime I suggest giving this a try. Counting pennies can be a lot of work, so what I did was measure (or if you have a food scale you could weigh) one dollars worth of pennies to avoid counting to a hundred over and over. I found that 100 pennies measured out to about 3.5 oz.

In the end my entire stash of coins filled a cool whip container. So if you are curious as too how much change you have, gather it all up and if you can fill an 8 ounce container, you probably have around $40 worth as long as it's not all pennies.

Coinstar gives you a full report of what your total is and I turned out to have 98 quarters, 92 dimes, 64 nickles, and 521 pennies. I was able to get an amazon gift certificate for $42.11 and I already sent in for my $10 rebate.

*Offer ends December 2*

Defensive Driving Online

I received my first speeding ticket and as a result I decided to take Defensive Driving to save some money and keep the charges off my record. That was about 3 months ago, and in typical messy mom fashion I waited until the week of the deadline to deal with it. I thought about doing the comedy course, or one that offers a meal, but instead I just went with the online version because you can do it on your time schedule.
I have written this little review about my experience so that anyone that ends up having to go through it will know what to expect.

No matter what, if you are taking defensive driving in the state of Texas it will cost a minimum of $25.00 and 6 hours to complete. This is required by law, so I went for the minimum! I chose to go with www.defensivedriving.com and the advantage is that you have 30 days to complete it so you can do it all at once or stretch it out over a month. I did about 4 hours last night and completed the remaining 2 hours, plus the exam (which only took a couple minutes) today.

I was dreading going through this course, but in the end it wasn't so bad. It is almost like a game. They want to ensure that you are actually going through all 11 lessons, so you will be asked questions throughout. If you miss a total of 13 questions you will not be permitted to continue. I think I missed 8 total and it really freaked me out every time I got one wrong, because the last thing I wanted was to be expelled from defensive driving school. Most of the stuff is pretty obvious, but there are some things you need to know like how much space you should allow in between vehicles to merge onto the highway? The answer is 4 seconds. I only know that because I wrote it down. I took notes and skimmed the text as well as watched videos while taking a bath or folding laundry (you can't do that while at a comedy club). The only problem is there is a little speedometer at the top of on your screen that shows how many pages you have completed and how many are left.


If you don't spend enough time in the lesson it will warn you that you are "speeding" which ironically is how most of us got into this mess in the first place, and you will have to review for the remainder of the time.

However you can also take too long. If you were to leave your computer on and just wait in the another room for your time run out you would be automatically logged off after 7 minutes. So what I did, because most lessons didn't take nearly the amount of the alloted time, I would just set my own personal timer for 5 minutes and then do something else and come back to change the page before it logged me off.

I may be a bit of an underachiever, but I passed and I still have a clean record which I fully intend to keep that way!

Update on New Year's Resolution

About a month ago I posted a New Year's Resolution only instead of starting at the beginning of the year I am ending it at the beginning of year, and I my deadline is quickly approaching. Here are the 5 things that I put on my list:



1. Convert my wedding memories into a digital format


2. Grow Herbs at Home


3. Get a Library Card


4. Read a book about blogging


5. Sell Something on Ebay


So far I have done #1 and #3. I have plans for the other three, but it is going to be tough to get around to it in the next month. I just thought I would share my success and goals to help motivate me. I will keep you posted!

Look Back and Laugh: Airport

My brother just flew back to Kentucky yesterday. We have a toll tag now so we can just go straight through without stopping, but this wasn't always the case. You drive up to the toll booth, take a ticket and then on your way out of the airport you give them your ticket and they charge you accordingly. This particular time I was planning on paying about a dollar. As I drove up I forgot about the ticket and handed him the dollar. The gentleman in the booth kindly asked me for my ticket.

"Oh yeah, duh. How silly of me" I said as and I reached over to the passenger seat to grab my ticket, but it wasn't there. I smiled and scanned over the dashboard searching for this little piece of paper, but it was still no where to be found. I couldn't believe it would be this difficult. I asked the man what happens if you don't have a ticket and he told me it would be $20.00.
Oh my, I thought and I began frantically searching throughout the car and dumping out my purse looking for the ticket.

"Oh ticket, COME OUT COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE" I began to get nervous
The man could sense my anxiety and he encouraged me "calm down, take your time. Just find your ticket." The more I searched the more cars piled up behind me and I began to really loose my cool. Does this guy now how much $20 is?

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND I DIDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE CAR! WHAT THE HECK! THIS IS CRAZY" I think the crease in my forehead was becoming a permanent indentation and beads of sweat began to roll down my face as I went from being worried to a full fledge panic attack. The man graciously flagged me on and lifted the electronic arm so that I could go through.
" Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." I responded like as though I were detainee that had just been released from prison for some horrendous crime.
"Go ahead, just go..." he quickly replied, because there is nothing like being stuck watching a penny pinching mom that refuses to give up.

The Show Must Go On

Alas, Thanksgiving has come and gone, Black Friday is behind us. One would think this could only indicate that is time to drop everything and jump into to the Christmas festivities full speed ahead! That's a nice thought, but for those of us that live outside of the North Pole we still have other responsibilities that we have to tend to. So as much as I would love to bake holiday cookies and sing Christmas Carols all day, I am just going to have to hold back for just a little bit longer.

That is why this will be my last week to talk about the boring old life of Messy Mom and next week you can expect all kinds of Crazy Christmasy Chatter. I should also mention that it is December 1st and am wearing my penguin pajamas and snowman socks, I would hate to be accused of being a Scrooge.

Thanksgiving

Boy do I love Thanksgiving! I celebrated this year with my husband's family, where the afternoon began with loading our plates full of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole, among other comfort foods. That's the true Thanksgiving way, no salad necessary. Then it was time for football. Flag football, family version; the sisters, the kids, and even great grandpa played their hearts out while I watched from a nearby window. In the end they came out with two busted lips and a couple of screaming children, not bad for your typical family gathering. After that we were able to enjoy the Cowboy's victory against the Sea Hawks. We wrapped up the evening with a couple games of Rumikub and cards along with coffee and seconds on desserts. It's been a fun food filled week, but now my stomach is starting to turn on me (literally) and so I think that it is time to bring this feast to a close.


Baby Z ate his very first Thanksgiving meal, last year he was too little for table food.


He sat in a chair all by himself for the first time too. Here he is at the kiddie table with his cousins. I just can't believe how much he has grown up in one year.

CVS BLACK FRIDAY DEALS!!!

Okay, this is unbelievable. I didn't do any black friday shopping this year. Except I did go to 4 different CVS's and do 4 different transactions between my hometown and Fort Worth. I got $156.51 worth of items for 15 cents. 3 out of the 4 transactions I walked out paying nothing! Not only was I able to get some stuff we needed for free even though it wasn't on sale, but here is where it gets really good, I now have $40.23 in ECB's. This is double what I started with!!! I have never had this much store credit. So as you can see I am just a tiny bit excited about my week at CVS. I am sure they are going to hold out on us for a while now, but I am cool with that, I can ride this wave for a long time.

So how did I do it? I got a $5 off $30.00 coupon in my email, and it said only one coupon per transaction not per customer, so I used one every time, there is $20.00 right there. I also had $20.00 ECB's to begin with, and add to that tons of free after ECB items plus $25.00 in manufacturer coupons. CHA CHING!

2 Colgate total -2 $1 Q
Phillips ear buds
5 hour energy shots
3 Gatorades
2 Cover Girl foundations -2 $1 Q
Cobalt Gum
Axe shower gel
King Size kit kat
Soleil razor -$3 Q
Garnier towelletes
Maybeline foundation -$3 Q
Hersheys- free hershey Q
Aussie mousse -$1 Q
Aussie hair spray -$1 Q
2 Playtex -2 $1 Q
2 Schick Quattro -$4 Q -$2 Q
Universal remote
Axe Deodorant
Crest
Loreal lip gloss
Sally Hansen's nail polish
2 Revelon eye shadow - 2 $2

Froogie Boogie: Eat up those leftovers

One of the things that keeps me a frugal queen is my ability to use up leftovers. Somethings I prefer when they are reheated, like pizza. When we eat out I can count on getting at LEAST 2 meals out of whatever I order so I don't feel like I am wasting money. Some people dread Thanksgiving leftovers, they enjoy it the first go round, but after that it just looses it's appeal. My solution is to make delicious Turkey sandwiches. Here is what you need

Rolls
Turkey
cranberry sauce
cream cheese

You just cut the rolls in half spread the cream cheese on one end and and your cranberry and turkey. You adjust this dish to your own personal taste, I like to add stuffing, or even ham. Either way, it is a tasty alternative to just nuking the same old thing over and over again. Bon Appetit.

You know you've had too much Turkey when...

I swear I didn't have any alcohol with my thanksgiving meal, but it sure has been quite a day and I think the fatigue is setting in because I just wrote this whole blog in my yahoo email account. No joke I put the title in the subject line and typed it all out and it wasn't until I went to edit that I realized I was not at blogger.com! Anyway here is what the "email" said,

I hope everyone had a happy and delicious Thanksgiving day. I celebrated with my husbands family. There was a ton of great food and my little contribution was Chocolate Eclair Dessert. Here is the recipe

CHOCOLATE ECLAIR DESSERT

2 (3.4 oz.) pkgs. instant French vanilla pudding
3 c. cold milk
9 oz. container Cool Whip
Graham crackers

ICING:

1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
5 tbsp. cocoa
2 tbsp. salad oil
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. Karo syrup (white)
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. milk

Mix the pudding, milk and Cool Whip. Layer the bottom of a 9"x13" pan with a single layer of graham crackers. Place 1/2 of the pudding mixture on top
of the graham cracker. Spread pudding mixture evenly. Cover with second
layer of graham crackers. Place remaining pudding over second layer of
graham cracker. Spread evenly and cover with final layer of graham crackers.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour before icing.
Mix icing in the following order: powdered sugar, cocoa, oil, vanilla,
Karo, butter and milk. Spread and smooth over top layer of graham crackers.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours. May be made the day before serving.


I had another recipe that had more of a ganache like topping which I prefer, and if I find that version I will post it.

I guess I better get some rest. Happy Thanksgiving!

French Dressing

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the history and tradition. While I couldn’t even tell you where all of my ancestors are from, I do know that I am half French Candadian. My mom’s parents came to America from Montreal.

I don’t know a lot about the history there, but the one French Candadian tradition that did get passed down through my mom’s family is French Dressing. Contrary to what it sounds like it has nothing to do with salad dressing. It is more like the american version of stuffing, but with meat and potatoes and is traditionally served on Thanksgiving Day known as le Jour de Merci Donnan. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
6 medium potatoes ( 2 potatoes per pound)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 Cup water
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. cloves
3/4 tsp. all spice
salt and pepper to taste


Prep
Cube Potatoes.
Finely chop onion.
Add all of the ingredients to a large kettle.
Cook over a medium heat for about one hour until meat is cooked and potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat. Spoon off about one-half cup of drippings and discard.
Mash the potatoes and stir mixture.



What about you? Do you have any unordinary Thanksgiving foods that are traditional for your family?

More Starbucks

If you are needing a boost to get yourself going before the big thanksgiving meal Starbucks will be open. You will have to check your local shops, but most have modified holiday hours. Where I live (Ellis county, Texas) they are open from 6:00 am-5:00 pm. Or better yet Black Friday shoppers are sure to need a pick me up at some point in the day and you can count on every one's favorite addiction to be there to serve you. The day after Thanksgiving Starbucks will be open with extended hours and a fully equipped barista staff! I am all about a toasty warm beverage during the holidays. Here is a list of my top winter drinks from Starbucks, along with the at home version, which I myself have yet to try, but look forward to doing so.

1. The Eggnog Chai Latte- Although it may not be on the menu one of my favorite baristas introduced me to it last night and I was very impressed with this creative concoction. I already love the chai latte, I opt for a creamier version by asking for the "no water chai". With the holiday season upon us I would now recommend trying the eggnog version. YUM!

To make this one at home you can pick up the chai tea latte mix at most grocery stores (I use the Oregon Chai) and make it with eggnog. Or if you are a wimp like me you can do half milk half eggnog.

2. Pumpkin Spice Latte- You know it's that time of year again when the pumpkin spice latte returns to the menu. This is a nick name I have for my son, because it was my drink of choice around the time he was born. Most parents call their cutie pumpkin and for me pumpkin spice latte just rolls off the tongue. Anyway, this drink is the traditional latte with the added flavor of pumpkin spices. I just found this crock pot recipe on another blog, which definitely sounds like something worth trying.

A Year of CrockPotting: CrockPot Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

3. The Salted Carmel Signature Hot Chocolate is mouth watering good. It's creamy, buttery, sweet and salty. I drink it as if I were a wine connoisseur letting it sit on my tongue to take in all the flavor before swallowing. Ah, it's expensive, it's almost 500 calories, and well it's the holidays what can say?

Check out this copy cat recipe to make it yourself.

Never underestimate the euphoria of a nice hot beverage on a cold winter day. Enjoy!

Look Back and Laugh: Drive Thru

Every time I go through a Starbucks drive thru I am a little self conscious. One time my husband and I were placing our order and the barista came over the speaker saying "Hi this Fabian what can I get for you?" My husband flipped out, because he calls people Fabian when he gets road rage. Don't ask why, but it's better than some other words he could use. Anyway, so he looks at me and he is pointing and mouthing "oh my gosh" because we are both surprised that we have come into contact with an actual Fabian. Our little silent outburst was interrupted by the words "I saw that" over the intercom. We immediately freeze. As it turns out they have cameras, not just the kind that can see your car, but they can actually see YOU! Fabian was actually a really nice guy and we talked with him for a while at the window. From now on though, I am on my best behavior anytime I go through a drive thru.

FOOD

I went grocery shopping today. Usually Monday at noon would be a good time to go because hardly anyone is there, but not today. With Thanksgiving only 3 days away, the place was a mad house. I didn't even think about that, luckily H.E.B did. They had extra employees working hard at restocking, bagging, and they even had a special assistant in the baking good aisle to help you find whatever it was you were looking for. In my case this was vanilla pudding, white chocolate chips, and cocoa. I will be sharing more about what I did with these items later this week.

I will admit I originally had all these ideas in my head about what I would be writing about this week, like thankfulness or family. While watching all the shoppers scurry about loading their carts with the usual thanksgiving goodies, I decided to go a different route at the last minute. "Who am I kidding?" I thought to myself. It's thanksgiving and I am going to write about food. I had an entire week on my blog dedicated to eating healthy, so it would only be fair to equally represent the other side of our cultural cuisine. Thanksgiving week is perfect timing. It's the kick off day for starting to binge on all the stuff that you swear off at the beginning of the year. I think it's more than just a coincidence that our holiday mascot is a fat guy that loves milk and cookies. So it's time to say HELLO marshmallow and sweet potato! Oh and cranberry sauce, and wassail, and cherry cordials too... and pumpkin pie, okay I'll stop.

Blogging update

Almost 3 months ago I mapped out a general outline of what my blog post would consist of from week to week. Here we are 200 post later and I am ready to make some changes. Here is the modified version of the messy mom blog schedule.

Monday- Introduction of the theme for the week. If you have any topics that you would like to see on this site PLEASE share your ideas with me. You can leave a comment or email me at themessymom@gmail.com

Tuesday- “Look Back and Laugh”, a blog that I share funny/ embarrassing life stories. This is something I would LOVE to see become an open blog carnival. I probably won't have that kind of a following for a while, but until then feel free to post your own Look back and laugh story on your blog and put a link in the comments section. I could always use a good laugh.

Wednesday-Works for me Wednesday some weeks I will participate while others I may not, it depends on whether or not I have anything that works for me that day.


Thursday- “why I love” which is basically just my personal review of different products that I use. This will also vary it could be weekly or monthly, or neither. I guess it will be a surprise post.


Friday- Froogie Boogie a blog where I talk about ways to stretch a buck, sometimes this will also be a part of a blog carnival called “Frugal Friday’s”

Saturday- I will post my Super Savings for the week particularly CVS. It has nothing to do with the weekly topic and it is usually in code that only froogie's can understand. Eventually I plan on letting this one go, but at this point it is my most viewed weekly post, so I'll keep 'em coming.

Of course I will also be posting regular entries about the topic of the week on any given day. Or I may be blogging about a challenge that I have taken on such as the The Restless Night Syndrome or The Kitchen Chronicles. Oh, and we can't forget the monthly blog about the featured City of the Month because I love to talk about travel.



Thank you to all of my readers for all of your support and encouragement. This has been a fun venture. As always, comments, suggestions, ideas, or questions are all welcome.