Blog Post Roundup

Here are a few posts that I've read that are worth passing along.

The Same Rules Apply @ The Bishop's Wife

Thoughts on Blogging @ Encouraging Words from Cary Schmidt

Growing Up the Bible Way @ Thimble Thoughts

Making Room @ Everyday Grace

Blessings From the Father @ The Bishop's Wife

Twenty Six Years Later @ Frog's Lilypad (Speech by President Ronald Reagan)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like......

Christmas!

I love Christmas!  I love all the decorations, both inside and outside, the yummy treats we get to indulge in, shopping for loved ones, even addressing Christmas cards!

Part of the fun is trying to come up with creative ideas for gifts for different people.

One thing I am doing this year is making the DIY Canvas Art that I blogged about last August.  In addition to the picture of Grandpa, I am doing a picture of my Grandma as well.  This picture is several years old, but is the last "good" picture I have of her.

On thing I am doing differently is I am painting the edges of the canvas.  I really like the results.

Painting the edges of the canvas.  They are sitting on canned goods so as to not mess up the table.

 I haven't take a picture of the final results just yet.  I'll add that in AFTER Christmas (Can't spoil everybody's surprise!)

Teenagers are somewhat difficult to buy for.  My nephew and niece are no exception.  We are, in effect, giving them cash for Christmas, but I have found a couple of great ways to be creative in the presentation.

For my niece, who enjoys taking photographs, I made a shadow box bank in which she can put money to save up for a dSLR camera.  I got this idea from a blog that I read, and I pinned it on Pinterest.

For my nephew, I was also going to do a shadow box, but the store only had ONE.  I went to my backup plan which was of folding his money into an origami shirt and tie, also found on Pinterest.  I was trying to figure out how I was going to find a small box to put it in when I got a great idea:  go ahead and put it in a big box just as if it's a real shirt and tie!  So, I've got this tiny shirt and tie in this big ole box.  I love pranking my nephew.  I'll have to tell y'all about the Cinderella gift card I gave him several years ago.

How about you?  Any creative ideas for gifts or gift containers?  How about pranks?  What's your favorite prank you've pulled?

As of today (12-20-11), I've had the shadow box pinned over 1,500 times!  Wow!  Thanks for pinning me!

Update (2-16-12), my shadow box has been pinned over 11,500 times!!

Original Sources:

Source: cometogetherkids.com via Ava on Pinterest

Source: howaboutorange.blogspot.com via Ava on Pinterest

7-Up Biscuits

I got this recipe from Plain Chicken, a new-to-me blog that has some really great recipes.  I made these on a Saturday and they were devoured by my family.  Robert made them again on Monday!









Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-Up
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Melt butter in a 9" square pan.

Cut sour cream into Bisquick.  Add 7-up.  Mix.  This will make a soft dough.

Sprinkle additional Bisquick (or flour) onto your board or table.  Pat dough out and cut into biscuit circles.  (I have a set of biscuit cutters, but my mom always used the open end of a glass.  Actually she hand-rolled biscuits, but used the glass for other things.  Sorry for the tangent.)

Place cut biscuits into the pan on top of the butter.  Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Note:  I used a 8" square pan which was not big enough for all of the dough.  Hmmm....maybe I should've kept the dough thicker.  That would make a whole lot more sense and make higher biscuits.  Anyway, when Robert made them, he put the dough in a 9x13" pan.  I don't think he bothered to cut them out.

Christmas Questions

My blogging friend Laurie over at Everyday Grace posted these Christmas Questions.  She got them from A Peek into My Life.  I thought I'd participate, too!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
It depends on how much of a hurry I'm in.  I wrap most of my gifts, but sometimes I will use gift bags.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
I like the idea of a real tree:  the wonderful smell and the fun of picking out just the right on.  The reality of a real tree:  falling needles, the need to keep it watered, etc.  I've had my little fake tree for about 10 years.

3. When do you put up the tree?
I put up the tree as soon as Robert gets the Christmas stuff out from where we have it stored.


4. When do you take the tree down?
Usually the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

5. Do you like eggnog?
My mom either made or bought eggnog when I was younger and I liked it.  I don't think I've had it since.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
My favorite childhood Christmas was when I was 8 years old.  "Santa Claus" brought me a life-size old-fashioned wooden cradle, wooden table and chairs, and a new baby doll.  The cradle had a pillow mattress, quilt, and quilted pillow.  The table had a red-and-white gingham tablecloth.  These were all handmade by my dad and mom.  I still have the cradle.  It's in my daughter's room and houses her stuffed animals.  My mom has the little table.  It used to be a TV stand and now it's a stereo table.  I had to reinforce the legs with nails.  The little chairs are long gone.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
I would have to say a toss-up between my husband and my sister-in-law Karen.  Robert because he always says not to get him anything or not to spend a lot on him.  The one thing he asked me to get is a battery for his remote control helicopter.  Karen is somewhat hard because every year I ask my brother what to get her and he says "chocolate"!  SHE may enjoy getting chocolate every year, but I'm tired of giving it!  LOL!

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My daughter.  Right now, I buy her things that I would like for her to have.  She usually enjoys them, though.  The "readers" in my family are easy, too.  I know what kind of e-readers they have so I give them gift cards to go with.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
I have several.  My favorite is the Little People Nativity Play Set that I got Gracie last year.  She has enjoyed playing with it this year as well.  It's missing the sheep and that kinda bugs me.  I hope we find it somewhere.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
I mail them out.  For years I have wanted to do a Christmas Letter, but I have never found the time to do it.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I really can't remember.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie(s)?
My favorite "new to me" movie is The Polar Express.  I would totally love to ride a rollercoaster based on that train!  I also love the Rudolph movies.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
That varies from year to year.  I'm getting a late start this year, somewhat.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I'm not sure.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Sweet Potato Pie and Martha Washington Candy.  Oh, and fudge!

16. Lights on the tree?
They are clear lights that light up in random patterns.

17.Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Depends on if I'm pregnant.  We usually travel down to my mom's at some point during the holidays.  Sometimes, we'll travel to my brother's or my husband's brother or to my sister-in-law's.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When I was a kid, I remember BEGGING to open at least one gift on Christmas Eve.  We never did until I was a young adult.  My mom worked at a convenience store and had to work on Christmas morning.  We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve, and somehow, it just wasn't as fun.  Beginning last year, we now open one gift on Christmas Eve which is our Christmas pajamas.  (Robert and I will be opening the same pj's as last year - Gracie will never know the difference!)

Crockpot Tex Mex Chicken

I love recipes that are quick and easy to prepare.  I also love mexican-flavored dishes.  I found this recipe in the magazine put out by Kraft Foods.










Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 breasts), cut into 1" strips
2 Tbs Taco Seasoing (1/2 package of seasoning) -- I used 2 heaping Tbs of the Taco Seasoning Mix that I have on hand
2 Tbs Flour
green pepper, cut into 1" strips
red pepper, cut into 1" strips
1 cup frozen corn
1-1/2 cups salsa
1 cup shredded Mexican Four Cheese


Toss chicken with taco seasoning and flour in crockpot.  Stir in all of the remaining ingredients except cheese.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Stir before serving.  Top with cheese.

Serve with rice.

Chopped Pizza Muffins

Put together

Done!

I came across this pin for Chopped Pizza Muffins and thought they looked so yummy!  Of course, anything with pizza in the title is going to deserve a closer look!

This was super easy to make.  All you need is a can of refrigerated jumbo biscuits, some shredded cheese, and your choice of pizza toppings.  I used pepperoni, onion, green pepper, and red pepper.

The original recipe said to put your toppings on top of a biscuit and chop them up, then divide between two muffin wells.  This didn't work out so well for me (could be because I have knives that are not very sharp).  So I chopped up everything and put them in a medium bowl and mixed by hand (literally - I used my hands to mix them up.).  Then I put them in my muffin tins.  This actually filled 18 muffin wells rather than 16 (there were 8 biscuits in the can).  I then sprinkled cheese on top.

This turned out very good!  Robert really liked it.  He even said, "You should keep these in mind for a church function."  I liked them, too, although I think I put too MUCH toppings.  The ratio was definitely off in terms of biscuits to toppings.  The other thing is that I think it could've benefited from some extra seasoning like Italian seasoning.  I will probably try that next time.

UPDATE:  Not two days after I made this, I found out we were having an after-church fellowship the following Sunday to celebrate our Pastor and his family being at our church for five years. I intended to make two batches, but only had time to make one (I took a MUCH-needed nap that afternoon and chopping took longer than expected).  Several people came up to me and asked me what was in it.  By the time, I got to them on the food table (we went last), there was only one left.  It was well-received!  One person came back to me and said they were good.

Original Source:

Source: lovelylittlesnippets.blogspot.com via Ava on Pinterest

Martha Washington candy or .... ?

See last Thursday's post for the recipe.

The younger schoolchildren wrote me Thank You/Christmas cards. I received them today at church which was a nice surprise. Several of them mentioned the Martha Washington candy, but they called it "reindeer poop"! LOL!

Whatever you call it, it's good stuff!