Not a single thing in my 12 days of Christmas list was under my tree, but there were a few surprises. My husband bought me (well, I picked it out) a wall sconce for a focal wall in my living room. My mom’s gift was the paint and window treatments for that room, so that was nice. My big surprise was a Shark steam mop. Oh yes, it was something I wanted! Our entire house is 50 year old hardwood floors. All of Violet’s clothes have dirty knees because it is impossible to get them really clean…they look clean, but her clothes tell a different story. I could mop daily and they would still not be clean. Fifty years of dirt doesn’t go away easily, so I’ve been wondering if a steam mop would help. When my mom heard me talking about them, she decided to get one and add it to my Christmas gifts and I was so excited! Haven’t used it yet, but plan to tonight or tomorrow before our big New Years Day shindig for people from church.
I also got a Waterpik from my brother and his wife. Sounds like a weird present, right? It’s not! I really wanted one because it is so difficult to floss my very crooked bottom teeth and the bridgework on my upper teeth. In fact, I chipped a tooth several weeks ago while trying to floss my lower teeth so I’m a little nervous about it now. The Waterpik gets all of those crevices clean and makes my mouth feel much better than flossing!
It was a good Christmas. My mom was here, I got the stuff I needed to finish my living room (I’ll share a picture when it’s done, but it may be a few weeks) and a couple of surprises as well. The kids got most of what they wanted and we had a wonderful dinner with friends on Christmas Day. It was a really great holiday.
Now on to planning Violet’s first birthday which is less than 3 weeks away now. I can’t believe it…where has my baby gone?
Yum, yum, yum. I did some experimenting with new recipes for Christmas dinner and the results were fabulous! We always get a recipe sheet in our Angel Food boxes so I looked through them to find something different. This is a slightly adapted version of theirs.
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 medium celery stalks, chopped
1 bag (15-16 oz) cubed seasoned stuffing
parsley flakes
1.5 chopped apples
1 lb andouille sausage (I’m sure I spelled that wrong…sorry!)
chicken broth
In a large nonstick skillet, brown sausage and break up well. Drain and set aside.
Using the same skillet, melt the butter and saute the onion and celery.
Transfer vegetables and butter to a large (VERY large!) bowl.
Add stuffing and parsley. (I eyeballed the parsley amount, about 1 tablespoon I think!)
Stir in enough broth to moisten the stuffing, about 2.5 cups.
Add the sausage and apples.
Place stuffing in a baking dish, drizzle with additional 1/2 cup of broth, then cover and bake until heated through.
It was delicious! And this made a ton of stuffing. We’re still eating it but the good news is it’s so yummy that we’re not tired of it yet! Let me know if you try it. It was a hit at my house…definitely a good change from the standard stuffing we have been eating here.
Certainly there are many things I want. Material things, intangible things, impossible things. But I’ve already received the greatest gifts I could ever imagine. My husband, my children, my loving friends and extended family. God has richly blessed me and for that I am eternally grateful.
And I’m most grateful to Him for the gift He gave us so many years ago. There would be no Christmas without the birth of Christ. It’s something I have a tendency to forget because of the hectic nature of the season. I hope that today I can remember why we’re celebrating. There will be the craziness of preparing a special dinner, opening gifts, and then more gifts tomorrow morning and 2 more big meals. But somewhere in there, I plan to sit down with my kids and remind them of why we do this. The ultimate gift has been given to us in the form of a Savior. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Books. I love to read. I’ll read almost anything (obviously, as I read and loved Twilight despite my skepticism) and our little county library is seriously lacking in good material. I can’t afford to buy books any more, so I’ve been doing a lot of re-reading and borrowing but there are several books on my list that nobody I know has and that our library doesn’t have. A gift card to a book store would definitely make me smile!
Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. For like 8 hours in a row, uninterrupted by teething babies or night terrors or snoring husbands. A silent night, if you will. Perhaps what I need to ask for is a gift card for one night in a hotel? I suspect that’s the only way I’d get 8 hours…but then I’d be lonely and wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. It may be a while before this Christmas wish gets granted, but I have full faith that it will happen again someday. Besides, after 3.5 years of interrupted sleep I’m pretty used to operating on less. I’m not happy about it, though.
I’m pretty sure it’s no secret that I like the Twilight series. I know there are people pointing and laughing now…that’s OK, get it out of your system. Done? Good…let’s move on.
So I love Twilight. The woman isn’t a very good writer, but she can tell a heck of a story. I loved the first book and was very meh on the second (I just kept reading and wondering when Edward would be back. I enjoyed it a lot more the 2nd time I read it.) so I didn’t expect to love the movie but it was amazing. Way better than the first one. The addition of a shirtless Jacob didn’t hurt. And the music was great. One of the things that really makes a movie for me is the soundtrack. I would LOVE to have the soundtrack to New Moon. And while we’re at it, I want the soundtrack to Twilight. Good music is essential for running and cleaning and studying and everything else in life. These soundtracks would keep me going.
Snow. Just on Christmas day. Lots of it. But gone before it becomes a pain. I missed this year’s big snow storm…I was in the hospital having a baby and though that was a lot better, I still wish I’d had the chance to play in the snow with my kids. That was the first “big” snow they’d seen and I completely missed it. And I don’t want any of that Snow My Yard stuff. I want real snow. Guess I better start praying, huh?
Glee. I’ve apparently been missing something HUGE with this show and I want in on it! I’ve tried to find episodes online but all that’s available is the last 5 episodes. I’m a little obsessive compulsive about this kind of thing and absolutely hate picking up on it after it’s started. So even though the 1st season doesn’t come out on DVD until December 29th, I want it. And in the meantime, I’ll take the DVD of the pilot episode to tide me over. I suspect I’m also going to need the soundtrack. When I love something I *really* love it. I think Glee would most likely be true love for me!
So if you’re reading the Twitter stream over there ———————————> (or following me on Twitter or a friend on Facebook) you already know that I made a 4.0 for the semester. This is not super amazing since I was only taking 2 classes, but the math class was HARD. It was 5 distinct math subjects (algebra, geometry, consumer math, statistics, and probability) so it was really tough. I’m used to math classes where you build on previous units rather than starting a whole new one every few weeks. And the computer class…well, let’s just say I know how to use one but understanding how they work is a different story. Once we got past that part I did well enough to pull an A out of it.
This gives me a cumulative 4.0. Amazing stuff, considering I’ve never had anything even close to a 4.0 in my life, much less a cumulative 4.0. Granted, this is only 3 classes. But I also have 3 kids now and a whole host of responsibilities I didn’t have the first time around. This time though, I am more driven, more focused. And I have a ton of people cheering me on. It makes me feel good to know that I’m not disappointing them.
Let’s have something a little less frivolous today, shall we? Not to be a total cliche, but I’d love to see peace on earth and goodwill to men. All of mankind, all loving and treating each other the way we’d like to be treated ourselves. That one thing, this small thing that should be our automatic inclination no matter who we are, is the one thing that would make me happiest. I am the eternal optimist. I have all kinds of hope in my heart. And it destroys me sometimes to see the hate in this world. Hate towards people who are, at their very core, the same as you and I. Oh, they may be a different race or religion. They may come from a different country or have had different opportunities than us. But if you proclaim to be a Christian then you know that God put every single man, woman, and child on this earth for a reason. To challenge us, to love us, to teach us, to support us…to provide something that nobody else can provide in exactly the same way. So let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
@swagbucks Hoping for some Swag O' the Irish so I can buy more @amazon gift cards for my favorite little leprechauns! #swagbucks #TTPTPMarch 9, 2010 7:06
@KrisWilliams81 What, Converse isn't cool anymore? The fact that I didn't know that must make ME old!March 9, 2010 5:48
@amybruni If you're still wearing Converse, I think that makes it OK!March 9, 2010 5:45
Test is done. I'm stopping for liquor on the way home.March 8, 2010 10:06
I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Pray for a decent grade...March 8, 2010 8:06
@Caitlin_Mullen Me too. No interest at all.March 8, 2010 4:22
@momlissa I sort of watched as I was doing homework. It's on my DVR to re-view during Spring Break!March 8, 2010 4:22
Chapters 1-5 have been reviewed, chapters 6-8 tomorrow, then midterm. And I feeli like I may be getting a stomach bug. Fab.March 8, 2010 4:16
@momlissa LOL! Me too. One of these days, right?March 8, 2010 4:15
@momlissa OMG! @jenniferweiner just tweeted at you! :PMarch 8, 2010 4:10
RT @dealsplus: Hey! Retweet this to win an Apple product in an hour. Don't forget to follow @dealsplus. http://bit.ly/9aq1SuMarch 8, 2010 3:31
If all of your status updates are about drinking, you might be an alcoholic. #justsayinMarch 8, 2010 1:09
Done? Good…let’s move on.
consumer math, statistics, and probability) so it was really tough. I’m used to math classes where you build on previous units rather than starting a whole new one every few weeks. And the computer class…well, let’s just say I know how to use one but understanding how they work is a different story. Once we got past that part I did well enough to pull an A out of it.