I can't believe Christmas is over!

And that 2010 is right around the corner. Didn't I just graduate from college? Didn't I just start working at the church? Didn't I just get engaged - - married?? I really can't believe I've been out of school for 3 years, working at the church for 3 years, and married for over a year now.

When I hear someone refer to 2000-and something as a long time ago, I always think, "No! That was just a little while ago..." Can you believe we are 10 years into 2000? Wowza.

I've decided I'm not going to set New Year Resolutions. I always break them, and then I'm disappointed as the next year rolls around that things haven't changed. What I am going to do is write a "Wish List" sometime this week, then hide it and not look at it for a year. I was in a class once where the teacher said that if something is written down it's like 75% more likely to happen than if it's just spoken. I'll do both and maybe my wishes will happen. But, if they don't...no pressure. Life is meant to be lived.

By the way, the homemade gifts seemed to be a hit! I'm sure we'll do that again. It made Christmas so much more enjoyable.

I was so spoiled this year. My family is so good to me. Better than I deserve. Miah got me tickets to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Sunday...can't wait to go! My parents got us a GPS! Woohoo! (Last year my in-laws got me the Diners, Drive-ins, and Drives Cookbook -- Miah and I try to visit 1-2 places a year - - the GPS will really help us!) My in-laws got us an awesome gas grill with a stove eye that took Miah and I ALL night to put together. It's massive...I really hope it fits through our door now that it's together. I also got some Fiesta Ware to make my set a nice even number - 12. A couple of the gifts I was most excited about is the Julia Childs Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook and a cookbook from a fellow blogger that my sister told me about. I read them like novels. Love um!

I think with the money we got we're going to get a Wii and Wii Fit. My sister got one and loves it. Maybe it'll motivate me to workout more!

Words

Isn't it amazing how sometimes you can run out of things to say so quickly and other times you can't stop talking? Well, now is one of those times I've ran out of things to say...well....almost....

All the Christmas decorations are up....all of the shopping is done (except picking up something at BAM). I still have to put the gifts together and wrap them up. This year, Miah and I did a lot of canning - - so most of our family will get the fruits of our labor as Christmas presents :) (sorry to spoil the surprise!). We got pretty "hat" boxes from Hobby Lobby to put all of the cans in (which are really jars). I love giving gifts and try to really think about what I give every year. I hope the receivers aren't disappointed by the homemade gifts this year. They are getting my Best of Show AND 1st Place award winning hot pepper jelly :) and either corn relish or squash relish and a jar of homemade BBQ sauce.




Miah and I decided to just do stockings this year - - to save a little money and put our efforts into paying off his truck...YAY! no more automobile payments after this month! I'm excited for him to see what's in his stocking this year. It's not much, but I think he'll enjoy it. :)

My dad is always the hardest to shop for because if he wants something he goes ahead and gets it. I had to think and think and think and think about what to get him this year. His gift is the last one I'll get. It'll be nice to not have to go into any stores the rest of the week!

Now I'm rambling. So, I'll stop. :)

Christmas Survey

Before Christmas
1. Does your family send out Christmas cards? YES
2. How soon do you start shopping? JUST WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT
3. Who do you shop for? FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS


Decorations
4. Do you put up a Christmas tree? YES
5. If so, is it fake or real? FAKE
6. Do you like tinsel? NOT REALLY
7. Do you use homeade or storebought ornaments? I THINK THEY ARE ALL STORE-BOUGHT
8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house? NOT YET
9. Do you put lights on the tree? LOTS
10. How about popcorn and cranberries? NO, BUT CRANBERRIES SOUNDS PRETTY
11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door? YES


Christmas Eve
12. Do you celebrate it? YES, WE HAVE A SPECIAL SERVICE AT CHURCH
13. Do you hang up your stocking? WHEN WE DECORATE THE HOUSE WE HANG THEM UP
14. Does your family read "Twas the night before Christmas?" NOPE


Favorite
15. Christmas Movie: CHRISTMAS VACATION, ELF, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
16. Character from any Christmas Movie: COUSIN EDDY
17. Christmas Song: O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL
18. Christmas Memory: MANY YEARS OF SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY


This or That
19. Give or Receive? BOTH!
20. Eggnog or Cider? EGGNOG
21. Red or Green? BOTH
22. Ham or Turkey? HAM
23. Star or Angel? CROWN :)
24. White Lights or Colored Lights? WHITE
25. Blinking Lights or Still Lights: EITHER
26. Were you Naughty or Nice this year? I THINK PRETTY NICE


Presents
27. What do you want for Christmas this year? A PUPPY!
28. When do you open your gifts? CHRISTMAS MORNING
29. What's the best gift you've ever gotten? A TALKING DOLL HOUSE
30. What's the worst gift you've ever gotten? UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER
31. Who gives you the most gifts? HUSBAND, PARENTS, AND IN-LAWS
32. Have you ever had a secret Santa? SECRET 'PAL'
33. Do you like wrapping gifts? YES


Random
34. Do you put change in those red buckets? SOMETIMES
35. Do you burn a yule log? NO
36. Can you name all the reindeer? MAYBE
37. Do you bake cookies? SOMETIMES
38. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Clause? EVERY YEAR
39. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe? I DON'T THINK SO
40. Do you go caroling? I HAVE IN THE PAST
41. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights? YES
42. Have you ever left Santa cookies? YES
43. Have you ever sat on Santa's lap? YES
44. Who do you celebrate Christmas with? MY FAMILY
45. Where do you celebrate Christmas? MY HOME, PARENT'S HOME, IN-LAWS HOME
46. Have you ever had a white Christmas? YES, IN NEW JERSEY
47. What part of Christmas do you look most forward to? BEING WITH FAMILY AND PICKING OUT THE PERFECT GIFTS
48. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa? PROBABLY
49. Does your family always take a picture at Christmas? NO
50. Have you ever heard the song "Thank God For Kids" by The Oakridge Boys? NOT THAT I RECALL

Let's go Predators!

Miah and I are season ticket holders of the Nashville Preds. We love hockey! Last night we were given lower bowl tickets to see the Preds play the Tampa Bay Lightning....great game! We won 7-3. So many fights (my favorite part of hockey!). And, 7 different Preds scored, which made me excited for them.






In other news (if you want to call it that) :), tonight in Club Hope, we're making dough ornaments. We're using a Nativity cookie cutter set. I figured each family represented in Club Hope could make an entire set to decorate their trees at home. And, we'll be finishing up The Nativity Story movie. It came out a couple of years ago, but I am only just now getting to see it. It's REALLY good and very educational.

I'm behind on watching all of my favorite Christmas movies this year. Christmas Vacation, Elf, It's a Wonderful Life...the list goes on. I get 3 days off for Christmas Vacation, so I'm hoping to get the movies in, get my house organized, and work on the t-shirt quilt. I've been at a standstill with that waiting for iron-on webbing.

So much to do...so little time!

The Nativity

My secret pal ended up being AUDREY!!! I was so thrilled to find out. She was such an awesome secret pal, so thoughtful!

For my Christmas present she got me the Willow Tree Nativity set...it's BEAUTIFUL!!! I put it up as soon as I got it home...



My plan is to add to the set every year. It will be a present to myself :)

I love Christmas!

Yummy Goodies!

I love Christmas and all the yummy goodness that comes along with it (not the calories that come with the yummy goodness tho). I get Family Circle, Taste of Home, and Better Homes and Gardens and I love all the recipes they include in them.

I was asked to make a cake for the Golden Lights Christmas Party for my mom's birthday...this is what I came up with...

I really enjoy baking and decorating cakes. When people want to know how much a cake they order will cost, I almost feel guilty for even mentioning a price. I think that's how you know you're doing something you really love - - when you would do it for free, but people are willing to pay for it.

By no means am I like Ace of Cakes or Cake Boss--I wish!!! But, it's a fun hobby.

Agitated Update

God bless the handy-woman....God bless her!

Apparently the landlords are out of the state, so the sweet handy-woman went ahead and got brand new linoleum for the entire bathroom floor. It's really nice. I couldn't be happier and more thankful that my little spot in the house can still look decent.



Thank you, Lord!

I still feel agitated at my landlord for being so cheap, but I'm glad we are getting entirely new flooring.

Agitated

I'm not one who normally rants on blogs/posts about the things that are aggravating me, but today, I got especially irritated....

Have you ever read the book, The House that Cleans Itself, by Mindy Starns Clark? Well, my friend, Audrey, (whom I've mentioned before) got it for me as a wedding gift. I love the book! It's for those of us who hate to clean, are really bad at it, but desperately wish they were neat-freaks. That's me! So, in the book, Clark says that there's one room in your house that if it's clean you feel on top of the world and if it's messy it can really bother you emotionally. For me, it's the bathroom. Her tip is to keep that specific room clean no matter if the whole house is upside down because at least your favorite spot will be peaceful. I try to do that. In our apartment we only have 1 bathroom. It's not very big, but it serves its purpose. I try to keep it clean and decorated just they way I like it. I feel at peace in my home if it's clean.

Now to my aggravation - - apparently the toilet pipes have been leaking and are causing the floor beneath it to give way. So, the landlord sent over the handy-woman to fix it. She's sweet enough and has fixed other things in our apartment. I went home for lunch today to find a huge hole cute in the bathroom floor. No biggy - - stuff happens. HOWEVER, I was talking to the lady and said, "So, I guess we'll have to get new flooring for the bathroom?" She said, "Well, Boyd [the landlord], told me to just patch it up with some linoleum and a metal strip. I don't like the idea, so I'll try to get you entirely new flooring, but I'm not sure."



WHAT?!?! Ok, I'm probably overreacting. I got SO mad...not at her...at my landlord! How CHEAP is that? Linoleum flooring is ridiculously cheap. Seriously, the entire floor could probably be replaced for no more than $20. I pay my rent ontime, and pay every month. There's no need to be so cheap.

I'm mortified at the idea of my special clean place looking tacky. :(

I'm getting Miah to call him and ask for him to not patch the floor with metal strips (image the strips that go between a door way that has 2 different types of flooring - - it would just be randomly placed around the bathroom floor where the huge hole was cut out)...am I'm overreacting? Let me know.

Peppermint Party

Tonight is the WOP table decorating contest. I'm excited and finished my table early :)

The centerpiece didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to...I couldn't find the right candy. But, it's cute all the same.



We're also having our Secret Pal revealed...woohoo! I've really had the BEST secret pal...I know she must be a good friend of mine, because when she gives me gifts it's like she really knows me.

I also get to reveal who I've been a secret pal to for the last year...I LOVE who I've had, I wish I could be their secret pal again. :)

Touchy - Touchy

My whole life I've been uber sensitive - - to a fault, mostly.

It has its advantages...I can pick up very easily on what other people are really feeling despite what they are saying. And it has it's disadvantages...I can pick up very easily on what other people are really feeling despite what they are saying. :) And, sometimes take things too personally.

My husband is the best at being sensitive to my sensitivity. When someone does something or says something that bothers me, he's really good to listen and not give me a solution.

When we went through our pre-martial counseling with our good friends and pastors, Wayne and Audrey, Audrey's sister and bro-in-law, Betsey and Wood (they stopped by one session to hang) had some really good advice for us. Wood told Miah, "Your wife will talk to you about her issues, and because you're a man, you'll want to fix them. But, she's just wanting to vent; so, it's better to listen than give a solution." Thanks, Wood! That really was great advice...and Miah listened.

With all of that being said, it's good to have someone I can talk to about anything and not feel like they are thinking about how I should have reacted or taken it. My husband is a good man. I'm thankful for him.

Let it snow!

We had our first snow of the season today! It was beautiful. It didn't last long...it's already melted. But, I loved it while it lasted. Got me even more into the Christmas mood!











Yesterday, I found the perfect Christmas tree topper! It's a crown. Reminds me of two things...Jesus-my king, and my sister and brother-in-law, Amanda and Chris King. Makes me happy to have it on my tree!

T.G.I.F.

Today is my day off...I love having Fridays off! I get to sleep in, watch whatever I want on TV, go shopping, cook (and clean :()...it really is the best day!

I ordered mine and Miah's Christmas cards the other day and picked them up last night. I'm pretty pleased with them. My sister, Amanda, is a photographer and took our 1yr. anniversary photo for the cause. I'm excited to send them out. :)

Still no Christmas tree topper....I'm on the lookout for one. I'm also working on my table decorations for Women of Purpose's table decorating contest. (WOP is my church's ladies group). I picked up some fabric from Hobby Lobby last night, and now I'm looking for center piece ideas. I think I know what to do. It's just a matter of finding it and putting it all together. My table cloth is red with small white polka dots. I'm using my red and green fiesta dishes with silver chargers. The napkins will match the table cloth, but I'll probably use some sort of silver-shiney-glitery napkin rings. And for the center piece, I want to go with the green, red, silver (or white) theme. I found a picture of what I'm kinda thinking...



Wish me luck!

Oh, Deer!

I'm really proud of my husband. He's a hunter! Last week (the day after Thanksgiving) he killed his first deer, and provided us with 4 bags full of meat...ground deer, steaks, tenderloin, and roasts. A few years ago, I probably would have been totally grossed out by all of that (you know...hunting Bambi and all). But, now I have a better understanding of hunting and the purpose of it.

Anyways...I'm so proud of him!

If you want to try some deer meat let me know! It's really good and very lean. I actually like it better than beef.

Still new to this

I wish I was better at blogging. I think if I had wireless internet at home, I would blog more. But for now, this will have to do.

Miah and I put up our Christmas tree the day before Thanksgiving. We actually got my parents' old Christmas tree which is still in perfect condition. Last year we had a smaller 6ft. tree, but this tree is 7.5ft. So, I wasn't sure what to do about decorating it. I knew I didn't want the same look as last year's tree.

Like many nights, I stayed up thinking about what to do to make it different. I hate it when I can't go to sleep for thinking about how to decorate things...my house, my table, the tree. :) It came to me...use the tulle from my wedding to wrap around the tree. We had 30 yards of the tulle and, it's just been sitting in the garage since the wedding.
It actually looks really good. I'll put a picture up of it as soon as I find a tree topper I like. :) Shopping for a tree skirt and tree topper have proved to be difficult. For one, Hobby Lobby gives too many options...and for two, nothing seems "right". I know it'll work out.

I really love Christmas time. I feel like the older I get the more special it is. The presents don't mean as much (I still enjoy them, tho!), and time with my family means the most. I'm kinda sad it's (probably) our last for a while with the whole family. My brother-in-law, Chris, joined the military and will be leaving in February for boot camp. He'll be at Ft. Braggs (sp?)...which means sometime in the near future my sister, Amanda, will be joining him wherever the military sends him.

I remember right before Amanda was getting married, we were both still living at home. One day, I just started bawling at the realization my sister and I won't be living together anymore. I remember saying out loud, "Who's going to bring me toilet paper when I run out?!"...as the tears flowed. We got through that...I know we'll get through this. :)

I Squashed it!

So...I decided to try canning. Canning has always seemed so domestic and like the 'right' thing to do once I got older, married, and had a garden. This year was my first experience with it, and, I must say, while it's very hard work...it's very rewarding.

I'll share my recipe and experience with you.

What started it was the Club Hope garden. Club Hope is the 1st-6th grade class I teach at church on Wednesday nights. The lessons taught are more practical and related directly to life...so this summer we decided to plant a garden. It has been so much fun! The kids have learned a lot and so have I. Miah (my husband) grew up on a farm, so he already knew all of that stuff...but it was a brand new experience for me. I must say, working in the garden is not my favorite, but working with what comes out of the garden is. :)

Club Hope planted a big garden with squash, tomatoes, corn, green peppers, red peppers, and yellow peppers...am I forgetting anything?? We've had squash coming out of our ears, so I took a few home. My mom also gave me squash from my parent's garden, so I knew I had plenty to can with.

I love chow chow and wanted something similar...it's SO YUMMY on pinto beans.

Here's the Allen family recipe....from my mother's kitchen

Ingredients:
8 c. sliced squash
2 c. sliced onions
4 green peppers in strips
2 tea. mustard seed
3 c. sugar
2 c. vinegar cider
2 tea. celery seed
1.5 tea. tumeric
2.5 tbls. pimentos

Put onions and squash in a bowl add 4 tsp. salt. Stir one or twice and let stand 1 hour - Drain and rinse and drain again.

Bring to boil the sugar, vinegar, seeds, and peppers - add squash and onions. Bring to boil a 2nd time and boil 5 mins.

Put into hot jars and seal.
Refrigerate before eating.