Highlights of the Year 2021

The year 2021 has been an eventful one for our family! 

After having six adorable grandsons, I finally got my first grand-daughter.

(Respecting my daughter's wishes to not show her children's faces.
Scumbags on the internet ruin everything.)

My oldest son, Cody, turned 40! We celebrated with an open house. 

Cody loved having his friends from  Turn Community Services there.

Katelyn, who happens to be my youngest child, turned 30! What?! How?!!

Boyd and I went to Fort Worth, Texas to see my BF from high school and her family.

My sister, Camie, and her daughter, Lainey, came and 

spent a few days with me. We braved Vegas for a day.

Beverly and I went on our first girl trip without our daughters. We had a great time, even though we had to wear masks on the rides. (And we really wished the girls could've come.)

On a sad note, my step-father passed away. I am glad he's no longer suffering. 

CANCER CAN SUCK IT!

Boyd and I made the decision to cash in on the insane housing market in St. George and move out of town. We bought the cutest home in the perfect location and moved in the first Saturday of September.

Within a month, I landed a job as an EL Interventionist at the elementary school close to my home.

(Ignore the typo in my text.) 

Cody is adjusting to his new day program. He really wanted to be Goofy on Halloween. 

We've enjoyed a couple of snow storms (which rarely happened in St. George).

We hosted our first Thanksgiving in our new home and just ended the year with a very Merry Christmas.

Looking back, I feel blessed beyond measure!

Bring on 2022!

To you and yours...

Sugar Cookie and Glaze Recipes

There are two times a year that I must make sugar cookies, Valentine's Day and Halloween. I have several sugar cookie recipes in my collection, but this is by far my favorite because of one little ingredient. 

Sugar Cookies

3 cups flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (This is the secret to great tasting cookies!)
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening, Beat eggs, sugar and milk together. Add to first ingredients. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Roll out on floured surface. Cut with cookie cutter. Bake @ 350 degrees for approximately 8 minutes. (Adjust time according to how thick or thin you prefer your cookies and if you like them crispy or soft.)


Sugar Cookie Glaze

1 stick butter
1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
32 oz. package powdered sugar

Melt butter in large bowl in microwave. Add remaining ingredients. Mix with a whisk until smooth. Dip cookies in glaze. Let set for one hour.

*Glaze will frost a double batch of sugar cookies.

Gift Wrap Bucket

A couple of years ago, my mom and her husband made gift buckets for their daughters and daughters-in-law and gave them to us on Thanksgiving Day. At that time, the buckets were full of Christmas wrapping paper, gift tags, Scotch tape, ribbon, scissors and other supplies. Because I am a bit of a Christmas freak, I put my bucket to good use that year.

Since then, I use my bucket to hold a variety of wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue and other items necessary for gift giving. I love it, not only because I have everything at my fingertips when I'm in a hurry to wrap a present, but because it takes up minimal space and it is portable!




If you are interested in making a gift bucket for yourself, Martha Stewart has a great tutorial and video reference on her website.

Stupid Politically Correct Crap

Source: keepingchristinchristmas.com via Erin on Pinterest

How to Prepare Autistic Children for the Holiday Season

Preparing Autistic Children for the Holiday Season is an excellent article for anyone dealing with an ASD child. Check it out!

Pies, Pastries and Pumpkins Puzzle

Jigsaw puzzles are nostalgic for me. My parents would often set one up on a card table for the whole family to work on. They even glued, framed and hung a huge puzzle of the Grand Canyon on their living room wall. It proved to be a great conversation piece back in the 1970's.

For a few years now, I have purchased Christmas jigsaw puzzles for my own family to work on during the month of December. This year, however, I decided to do something a little different. I bought a puzzle with an autumn theme and set it up the first week of October.

I also decided to buy this and try it out...

I haven't determined if I am a fan of the Stow and Go. The puzzle pieces were hard to move around on the fabric.

It took awhile, but we eventually finished the puzzle...

Now I am trying to decide if I should purchase a new Christmas puzzle. If I do, it will definitely be Ravensburger brand, not SunsOut like the one above. This one was far too difficult, thanks to some oddly shaped pieces.

National Food Holidays for the Month of September

I came across the following list today and can't help but wonder who comes up with this stuff? An even better question might be, who really cares? Is there anybody out there who actually adheres to lists like this? I couldn't do it. Many of the foods honored this month make me gag (especially numbers 6, 9 and 27). However, I'm seriously contemplating observing National Cream Filled Donut Day on September 14th!

September 1: National Cherry Popover Day
September 2: National Blueberry Popsicle Day
September 3: National Welsh Rarebit Day
September 3: Afternoon Tea Day
September 4: National Macadamia Nut Day
September 5: National Cheese Pizza Day
September 6: National Coffee Ice Cream Day
September 7: National Acorn Squash Day
September 8: National Date Nut Bread Day
September 9: Wienerschnitzel Day
September 10: TV Dinner Day
September 11: National Hot Cross Bun Day
September 12: National Chocolate Milkshake Day
September 13: National Peanut Day
September 13: Snack A Pickle Time
September 14: National Cream Filled Donut Day
September 14: Eat a Hoagie Day
September 15: National Linguine Day
September 16: National Guacamole Day
September 16: Mexican Independence Day
September 17: National Apple Dumpling Day
September 18: National Cheeseburger Day
September 19: National Butterscotch Pudding Day
September 20: National Rum Punch
September 21: International Banana Festival
September 21: National Pecan Cookie Day
September 22: National Ice Cream Cone Day
September 23: National White Chocolate Day
September 24: National Cherries Jubilee Day
September 25: Crab Meat Newburg Day
September 26: National Pancake Day
September 27: National Chocolate Milk Day
September 27: National Corned Beef Hash Day
September 28: Strawberry Cream Pie Day
September 28: Drink Beer Day
September 29: National Coffee Day
September 30: National Hot Mulled Cider Day

If it were up to me to decide food holidays for September, my list would look like this...

1: DQ Peanut Buster Parfait Day
2: National Orange Chicken Day
3: Drink a Coke Day
4: National Chips and Pico de Gallo Day
5: National Take Your Mom to Olive Garden Day
6: Barbecue Chicken Day
7: National Cinnamon Roll Day
8: Eat a Caramel Apple Day
9: National Seafood Day
10: Milk Chocolate Day
11: Eat Cold Cereal so your Mom Doesn't have to Cook Day
12: National Potato Chips and Dip Day
13: National Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting Day
14: National Cream Filled Donut Day (I'm keeping this one.)
15: Cheese Ball and Crackers Day
16: Eat a Steak Day
17: Cotton Candy Day
18: National Onion Rings Day
19: KFC Day
20: Egg Foo Yong Day
21: National Divinity Day
22: Drink a Coke Day (It's my list. I can do this twice if I want.)
23: Barbecue Ribs Day
24: National Corn on the Cob Day
25: National Orange Juice Day
26: Brownies and Milk Day
27: National Movie Theater Popcorn Day
28: National Chili Relleno Day
29: Scones and Honey Butter Day
30: National Molasses Cookie Day

Musing Over Mother's Days Past

(This one was from Casey. He was obviously into poems.)

Love this part!

By the looks of Casey's name, this had to have been when he was in Kindergarten.

Special little decorative hearts along Katelyn's name.

Cody working on his braille machine...Cute!

I guess I sing too much? haha

Weight Loss Procrastination Tips for Every Month of the Year!

I come up with excuses to procrastinate losing weight. For instance, I can't make a New Year's resolution to diet when Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I'll want to devour scrumptious chocolates. Easter comes soon after Valentine's Day, so that's no good. How can I not eat sweets when our family does a big treasure hunt with loads of candy? After Easter...well, I'm sure the kids will give me Turtle's for Mother's Day. They know how much I love those chocolate covered caramels with pecans. Summer time rolls along and it is so hot that it would be foolish to give up ice cream. Besides that, three of my four kids and I have birthdays in the summer and that means cake, cake and more cake. Before you know it, Autumn is here and caramel apples are terrific...oh, and apple pie and apple crisp (with ice cream). Then it's Halloween and simply unrealistic to think of losing weight when loading up on candy is what Halloween is all about! November and December bring with them my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's a given that nobody starts a diet during this time. To do so would be just setting myself up for failure, right? Now I've come full circle and back to New Year's again. It's a vicious cycle.

(Sigh) I might suck at having self control, but I've got procrastination mastered!

Grandma's Cheese Ball

2- 8 ounce packages cream cheese
1- 8 ounce package Velveeta cheese
8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated finely
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons grated onion
1 teaspoon, Worcestershire sauce
ground pecans
parsley flakes

Combine the cheeses in a large bowl and let sit at room temperature until soft enough to work with. Add grated onion and Worcestershire sauce. In a pie plate or shallow dish, combine nuts and parsley flakes and set aside.

When the cheese's are soft enough to work with, mix (with your hands) until well blended. and shape into balls. Roll in the nut/parsley mixture, wrap in plastic and store in refrigerator. Let set overnight before serving.

Makes 3 or 4 balls.

Merry Christmas Versus Happy Holidays

Political correctness is filtering its way into our lives to the point that we have to censor ourselves less we offend someone. People who work in retail, among others, are told they must replace "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" when interacting with customers.

During the month of December, I celebrate Christmas, not the holidays. I have never wrapped holiday gifts, don't hang holiday lights, never put up a holiday tree. I don't prepare and serve a holiday dinner and I have never read "Twas The Night Before the Holiday". My family and I celebrate Christmas.

If I happen to wish someone a "Merry Christmas", and they don't celebrate like I do, why be offended? I don't go around wishing people "Merry Christmas" just to tick them off, and it shouldn't be taken that way.

When other people celebrate a religious holiday according to their beliefs, I don't get offended. In fact, I admire that they have devotion to their religion. If someone were to wish me "Happy Hanukkah", I wouldn't feel insulted, even though it is not my faith. And if someone has no spiritual beliefs, why not at least be at peace with Christians who are celebrating joy and happiness, without getting all worked up?

I, for one, will not be wishing anybody "Happy Holidays", this year as I celebrate Christmas. If, by chance, you don't celebrate Christmas, a simple "thank you" will suffice for me wishing you peace and goodwill. Please just smile back, nod politely and we can go our separate ways.

Merry Christmas!

Absolute Garbage!



Picture Courtesy of Sodahead.com


Today is trash day. "Big deal" you say? Well, it is to Cody. It's like Christmas every darn week. Cody gets so excited that he wakes up at 5:00 a.m., if not earlier, just so he won't miss hearing the trash truck come into our cul-de-sac. On Christmas Day, I don't mind if I'm dragging butt by late afternoon; it's worth it because it's fun.

I hate trash day.

Black Friday

If you plan to shop on Black Friday, the following website may be of interest:
http://www.black-friday.net

In Honor of Veterans Day

"...I'm out here on the front line, so sleep in peace tonight."

Holiday Cranberry Cobbler

1 Package Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 sticks (1 cup) Margarine or Butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped Pecans (optional)
21 ounce can Peach Pie Filling
16 ounce can Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Vanilla Ice Cream

Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine cake mix, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in margarine until crumbly. Stir in nuts and set aside.

Combine pie filling and cranberry sauce in un-greased 13"x9" glass baking dish and mix well.

Sprinkle crumb mixture over fruit.

Bake approximately 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Halloween Countdown Craft

I found this Halloween Countdown at Alayna's Creations. It's cute and looks simple to make. Check it out!

http://alaynascreations.blogspot.com/2010/09/stashbusting-away.html

Halloween Ideas

The Idea Room: Halloween Ideas

The above link has fun craft and food ideas for children (of all ages).
Check it out!