Merry Christmas!

I wish you all the merriest of Christmases!

Our Christmas will probably begin with Baby B waking up early to eat, followed by eager boys pawing at us to go open presents at 7 am.  With our Three Wise Men gifts that we do, this shouldn't take long which means that while the hubby plays with the kids, I will be making red velvet pancakes, bacon, eggs, and orange juice for breakfast. 

My husband works for a company that never stops running so he will be off to work by noon, which means "A Christmas Story" and Chinese food for the kiddos and I tonight.  Oddly enough, I am looking forward to this time.

I pray that you all have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your time with your families.  God Bless!

25 Days of Christmas: Christmas Eve

Well, we made it.

The holiday rush has come down to tonight.  I hope your shopping is complete and you are able to spend the day with your loved ones and just relax.  We have a little visiting to do today, but I am hoping it is all in fun.  With Older Boy away visiting family on his dad's side and my husband working for the first half of the day, it is just the two younger kiddos and I for awhile.

Today's RAK is to put lotto tickets on a few lucky cars.  Every year since I can remember, Christmas morning I would discover lotto tickets in my stocking.  On the rare occasion I won a buck or two, my step-dad would pay me and boy, was I thrilled!  This is a tradition we have carried on in my home so it is fitting that we "share the wealth" (or not, as luck may have it.)

Once the hubby comes home and cleans up, we are off to my parent's house for Christmas Eve dinner and opening presents.  At some point, Older Boy will be coming home and we get to do our yearly tradition.

Every year on Christmas Eve, the kids get new p.j.'s.  What is so funny about this, is that every year they shake the box, wondering what is inside.  Really, kiddos!?  You have not caught on by now?  Ha!  Even Baby B is getting some cute, pink Santa jammies.

Together we will put out cookies and milk (even though the secret has been blown), and put the kids to bed.  Everything was wrapped last weekend, so there shouldn't be much work involved after the kids fall asleep (around 3am, I am sure.)




What are your Christmas Eve traditions?  Please share!

Christmas Shopping Hours

Need to do some last minute shopping on Monday and Tuesday?  Here are the hours of some major retailers:

Monday:
Westfield Galleria Mall (Roseville): 8 am - 11 pm
Toys R Us: Midnight to Midnight
Wal Mart: Open 24 hours
Costco: 10 am - 8:30 pm
Target: 7 am- midnight
Best Buy: 8 am - 11 pm
Home Depot: 6 am - 9 pm

Tuesday (Christmas Eve):
Westfield Galleria Mall (Roseville): 7 am - 6 pm
Toys R Us: Midnight to 6 pm
Wal Mart: Open 24 hours
Costco: 9 am - 5 pm
Target: 7 am - 9 or 10 pm
Best Buy: 7 am - 6 pm
Home Depot: 6 am - 5 pm

Themed Movie Night: Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Christmas is just a few days away, the kids are out of school, and hopefully you are not too busy to spend some quiet, quality time together at home.  Friday night was pretty much our last night of calm before the busy holiday activities begin and the last minute shoppers rushing to the mall create chaos in our town.

We are basically finished with Christmas shopping; there are a few presents left to wrap and I may go out for a few small stocking stuffers on Monday morning, but the important stuff is done.  Yay!

This left us with an empty night prime for family time.  There are so many great ideas for a Grinch night all over Pinterest, that this night was one of the easiest movie nights to plan. I had fun creating this evening and the boys seemed to really enjoy themselves.  Baby B did what she does best and slept through most of the activities.

Our menu included "Roast Beast" Sandwiches, Grinch Ka-bobs, Who-hash, and Grinch punch.

I made these cute "Grinch Pills" inspired by a post at Crafty Girl 21.  I hid them in the boy's stockings and they munched on them during the movie.

Here are my "Roast Beast" sandwiches and Who-Hash.  

To make the roast beast, I put a 2 lbs beef roast in the crock pot with a can of Beef Consume and 1 cup beef broth on high for 4 hours.  I sliced it up and served on Hawaiian Sweet rolls and put a little of the "juice" from the crock pot in a small bowl to dip the sandwiches in.  Yum!  My Who-Hash was really easy too.  I cooked up some hash browns, added a little shredded cheese, and baked in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  I could have done more to these, but my boys are picky eaters. 

 These Grinch Ka-bobs were inspired from Nourishing Minimalism

I forgot the bananas.

This Grinch Punch from Taste of Home was delicious!  Mine turned out much more of a neon green than in the picture.  The recipe specified to use neon green food coloring (which I actually had already!), but I think the original post used regular green.  

 The boys were being goofy while eating and took silly pictures.  They had enjoyed the evening though!

Merry Grinchmas!!!

25 Days of Christmas {Catching up}

No, we didn't forget to do our RAK's.

Honestly, money has been so tight we were unable to complete several of the tasks we planned to do.  Isn't that frustrating?  Deep in my heart I wish to help and serve and love on people, but when resources are limited, what is a girl to do?

As it was, we saved our RAK's and spent last weekend doing a bunch of them, plus serving with the Salvation Army.  We still have a few more to catch up with, and hopefully we can get them done before Christmas.

RAK: Taking muffins to his teacher (on a chalkboard plate I made)

RAK: Leave popcorn on a Redbox (this was gone within 10 minutes!)

Being bell ringers for the Salvation Army

RAK: Leave a treat for the mail-lady.  She exlaimed, "Thank You!" when she stopped by.

RAK: Leave candy canes on cars.  They left tons!

RAK: Take your Sunday School teacher a treat.

The boys have been enjoying this advent calendar and I have too.  Guess I need to start thinking of some fresh ideas for next year!

Project Christmas: Crystal Luminaries

The other day I was cleaning out under my kitchen sink and found hundreds of tea lights.  One quick look in my garage on my workbench and I saw dozens of glass jars.  I needed to put these things to use, so I decided to make these pretty, crystal luminaries - or frosted luminaries.  Deciding on a name is too hard.  Heck, we didn't even have Baby B's name picked out until after she was born.

These are so pretty, right?  I just love the way they turned out.  The best part is, they can be used for other holidays or even as decor in a bedroom or bathroom.  Now, on to the tutorial.

 You will need:

glass jars - I found these square ones at Dollar Tree and also used some Mason jars I had lying around

Epsom salt

Mod Podge

Clear spray enamel

paper plate (we are big Dolphin's fans even though we are in California)

food coloring

bowls for mixing the food coloring and salt

spoons

sponge brush

wax paper

Gather your supplies!

Start by measuring out 1 cup of salt per color you want to make.  I did red, green, and white for Christmas.  Since I wasn't coloring the white, I poured that out on a plate and spread out to make even.  Then I poured 1 cup each into two separate bowls.  Once you do that you will put in 1-2 drops of food coloring into each bowl.  Mix it well.  At first it will look like there isn't enough coloring, but I promise you there is.

Now you want to start coating your glass jar in Mod Podge.  Don't do the bottom.  That would be just silly.  Be liberal with your glue, but don't leave it dripping.

Oh, my shoe is in the picture.  It was gym day!

Next, you will start pressing the glue-sides into the salt, making sure to coat all over.  If you notice spots with little salt, then dab a little Mod Podge and press the salt in with your fingers.

 Now it is time to let them dry.  Let them dry for 2-3 hours.

Ohhhh....watching paint dry.  Fun!

The color is a little hard to notice until you get them all next to each other.  Looking good!  Once they are dry, carefully carry them outside or to a well-ventilated area.  The last step is to spray them all over with the clear spray.  Make sure you turn the jars upside-down so the clear coating doesn't get inside the jars.  Do 2-3 coats of the spray, making sure to let dry between coats.

Once they are all done, you can place a tealight or candle inside and light them up!  Now you have a pretty decoration for a centerpiece or mantle eye-candy.

Themed Movie Night: The Santa Clause

The weather has been super chilly here in Northern California this week - which means we have been bundled up in the house staying warm.  We even got little snow flurries in my town which is a rare treat.  Well, this cold weather gave me another opportunity to have a themed movie night.
Tonight's film:

I really wanted to watch the original Santa Clause, but it was nowhere to be found.  Santa Caluse 3 was a perfect choice in the end with the frosty weather outside.  So, I guess it all works out. So here was the plan:

Here was a shot of dinner - I will post the recipes for the potatoes and Sleigh Sliders tomorrow.  They were delicious!  (Recipes here)

After dinner we made sleigh crafts.  The boys will bless unsuspecting people with these in the next few days.

To make the sleighs you need two candy canes, a piece of red cardstock measuring 5x2 inches, candy, a cellophane bag, ribbon, and a hot glue gun.  You could also use a candy bar instead of the cardstock, but I didn't have any around the house.

Glue the cardstock to the candy canes.  Hold in place until the glue is dry.

The boys then filled the bags with candy and tied it with a bow.

We put a little glue on the "sleigh" and let it cool slightly so it wasn't hot, but was still sticky.  Then we put a small dot of glue on the wrapper of a Santa chocolate and stuck that to the front.

TA-DA!

For dessert there was a choice of the leftover Christmas candy  I found these in the bulk bins at WinCo.

For dessert I made Santa Hat Brownies.  I saw the idea on Pinterest and tried to copy it.  As I am looking at this I realize that I forgot to add a dot of white frosting on the top!  Oh well!

After making our crafts we put on pjs and watched the movie while enjoying dessert.  Another successful night!

Christmas Remembered

If you live in Northern California you should check out this amazing event held at my church, Bridgeway Christian church. Last year I was in one of the skits that was written just for this event and had a blast. Because of Baby B, I am not a volunteer this year, but plan on going next weekend.  Hope to see you there!

Roundup of Christmas table settings

Christmas is growing closer, which means families and friends are gathering for meals together.  Last year, in addition to my family Christmas celebrations, my friends and I gathered at my home for the first annual Christmas with friends.  I baked a ham and everyone brought a dish to share.  We also did a white elephant gift exchange and played Maximum Exposure aka The Naked Game.  (Maybe I should include instructions?  This game is hilarious!)

With dinners and brunches starting up, you may be in search of a beautiful table setting - here are some ideas I have found.

Simple and sweet - From The Real Thing with the Coake Family

A colorful setting with nontraditional colors - from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

A pretty fall centerpiece.  You can make this by using foam cones.  Just put the apples on sticks (think caramel apples) and stick in the foam.  Fill in the spaces by sticking small Christmas tree branches.

I LOVE this vintage themed table - great for a buffet from Blue Egg, Brown Nest

A sweet Santa setting with touches of sleighs and keys -from Between Naps on the Porch

Rustic Christmas setting from Cruisin over Sixty

A beautiful, clean Christmas setting that would be easy to do - from Town and Country Living

And this delicious looking table looks too good to eat!  From Lady Behind the Curtain

I hope you are as inspired as I am!  If you have a beautiful setting, please comment below or post it on my Facebook page.

Themed Movie Night: Elf

With the sun setting by 5 p.m., the boys are inside earlier and always itching for something to do.  This week has been a cold one for Northern California so I planned a movie night for our family centered around one of our favorite Christmas movies, Elf.

The first thing that needed to be done was to put up some Elf-inspired decorations.  The boys and I cut up paper snowflakes to hang up (and they still don't want to stop making them) and strung them from the ceiling fan light in our living room.  I think by tomorrow's end I will have snowflakes all over the house.  I also took some sparkly gold paper I had on hand and cut them into strips for a paper chain garland.

Now, Buddy the Elf loves his four food groups: Candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup.  As a good mom, however, I know not to fill my kids with these treats before bed on a school night.  Trying to stay close to the movie, I made spaghetti like Buddy has during his first meal with his dad.

For a sweet treat after dinner, I gave the boys a few options to nibble on.  Trader Joe's seriously has the best snacks and treats.  I don't think it is possible for a person to walk out of there without one of the amazing goodies in their basket.  Today from TJ's I picked out some Candy Cane Truffles and Cocoa Drizzled Kettle corn.  I also put out some hot chocolate packets so we could enjoy some cocoa while watching the movie.  While drinking The World's Best Coffee might have been closer to the film, no one wants to deal with wired pre-teens on a weeknight.  I also happened to have on hand some Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Scones from Cost Plus World Market so I baked those while we ate dinner.

Dinner was perfect and the kids were excited to all be sitting down for a meal.  Like I have mentioned before, my husband typically works in the evenings, but this one of his night's off so we were all able to eat together tonight.  The big shocker came when Older Boy offered to pray before we ate.  He hasn't done this in years, I don't think.  He said a nice prayer where he gave thanks for his new sister and the money that provided the food and house.  So proud!

Younger Boy used dad as a bed and we all cuddled up and settled in to watch the film.  I am thinking we will be doing this more often - especially since I have some other themed nights running through my head.  Stay tuned!