BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 14 ~ BIG TO DO, QUIET, or TRAVEL CHRISTMAS PLANS ~ BLOG 366.347B

Do you have plans for a quiet Christmas or do a BIG gathering with family and friends planned or are you traveling over the holiday to somewhere special this year? Has the way you celebrate changed over the past few years since COVID?

Yet AGAIN there is another new COVID and FLU strain this year as well as viral meningitis going around that concerns me a bit. I have several neighbors who went to BIG gatherings for Thanksgiving and now have COVID or the FLU 🙁 so it is still a concern for me as an immunocompromised person.

We’ve always been pretty much homebodies during the holidays. Then again, we have always lived fairly close to family so traveling was only day trips or short distances. Personally, I cannot fathom traveling through an airport or train station with BIG crowds during the holidays even before the pandemic. The one time we did travel over the holidays, we made a BIG trip out of it leaving well before the holiday and going home long after it.

When I was a kid one of my favorite traditions was that we did a BIG family get together with a buffet of food and opening our family presents on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, after my dad passed, much of this tradition fell by the wayside.

Then on Christmas Day we did Christmas morning at our respective homes with “Santa” gifts and just the immediate family. Then we would do a BIG turkey with all the trimmings including my dad’s old fashioned stuffing and giblet gravy with the entire family as well as extended family and friends, which included crazy Aunt Louise and Uncle Herb.

Christmases for us now are MUCH, MUCH smaller and our newest tradition in the last several years is watching our favorite traditional Christmas movies like It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street as well as Hallmark Christmas movies and dreaming about moving to every small town depicted in them, kind of like Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls. We loved that show!

This year again we will be having a quiet Christmas with just the two of us. There are several Christmas events leading up to Christmas we will be participating in though. We are also hoping some friends will be able to join us for New Years, but there are no plans set in stone yet.

So what are your plans this year?

CRAZY PIZZA BREAD ~ BLOG 366.347

I adapted this version of Crazy Pizza Bread from Sandra at Full Bellies Happy Kids who adapted it from The Ivory Hut

Sandra said that the first thing that came to her mind was, WHY didn’t I think of that?. I have to concur!!!! This is sooooooooo simple and beyond delicious! Hubby gave it a HUGE seal of approval. I like to make these individually like the pasties we used to get back east. Sometimes I over fill them LOL 😂

CRAZY PIZZA BREAD
1 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon FRESH ground kosher salt
(2 cups favorite toppings, chopped)
1/2 cup small chopped sausage pieces
1/3 cup small diced pepperoni
1/3 cup small diced red onion
1/3 cup small diced marinated artichokes, drained well
1/4 cup (rehydrated, but drained) sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small
1/4 cup small diced red pepper

1 SMALL bunch green onions, chopped
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon avocado oil

  • Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl and let sit 3 minutes until foamy.
  • Add flour and salt, mixing by using a mixer, spoon, or your hands JUST until it comes together.
  • Add in the toppings and combine well. Dough will be tacky, dust with a bit of extra flour if it feels too tacky.
  • Let rise for about an hour at room temperature.
  • Place in the refrigerator to rise for another hour.
  • Take the dough out of the refrigerator.
  • On a floured surface roll out into a rectangle about 11×17”.
  • Sprinkle cheese over top.
  • Evenly layer the “toppings” or innards over the cheese.
  • Fold along the long side, like an envelope.
  • Seal sides so cheese is not exposed.
  • Let rest while you preheat oven to 450°.
  • After oven comes to temperature wait 15-20 minutes before baking pizza.
  • Bake the bread 25-30 minutes on a pizza stone or baking sheet until golden brown.
  • Brush the top with olive oil a few minutes before removing from oven.
  • Let rest on a wire rack to cool 5 minutes before slicing.

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 13 ~ REAL or ARTIFICIAL TREES ~ BLOG 366.346B

Before I start this post, let me just say THESE TREES ARE JUST WRONG!!!! I can’t remember the name of the store, but it was in Texas the first time we were there taking care of my aunt. When I was quite young my folks had a hand me down tree from my grandparent that was silver tinsel and a color wheel. Even as a young child I HATED that tree!

And I love how a neighboring town always does their tree right in the middle of main street. Now on to our trees.  How I decorate each year changes based on my mood, weather, where we are living, etc… so it will never be the same twice!
Our town went to more modern trees several years ago and then they were moved to a new location on the new stage after the wind storm a couple years ago caught them on fire. They are now secured by cables so the wind is no longer a problem.

This is one of those categories that should be easy, but it’s a bit complicated for us. We USUALLY had a REAL tree… until we didn’t. 😀

Several years back hubby’s National Guard unit was put on alert one September and by Thanksgiving they were shipping out to IRAQ. They left sunny southern California and headed to Washington to be integrated into the Army, which for hubby was easy because he had already served in the Army and then joined the National Guard so it was like going home for him.

I was lucky because in the end he was eventually named the Rear Detachment Commander and sent back home (mostly) to man the Armory and guys that remained behind for one reason or another.

But, I digress. While he was gone I needed to put up the tree and just couldn’t talk myself into doing a real tree by myself. So, I purchased a really nice artificial one. I put it up and decorated it that year and the next while he was still deployed. The following year we went back to a real tree. The year after that we moved to the north woods and REALLY enjoyed live trees again for several years.

During that time the artificial tree stayed boxed up in the barn. When we were in Texas after that, live trees were exorbitantly priced so we used the artificial tree again for a couple years. When we came back to the Pacific North West we went back to live trees until the year of the COVID pandemic and the local tree farm closed early leaving us live treeLESS so we pulled out the artificial tree once again.

LOL this is my long winded way of asking you if you can tell the difference between a few of the trees from the past few years? Which ones are real and which ones are artificial?  😀

Live or artificial doesn’t matter to us as much anymore – being decorated with all the sentimental ornaments is what makes either tree special. A LIVE tree smells good, but honestly a nice artificial tree is easier and a whole lot less mess in the long run. We do buy LIVE wreaths for the proch! Sadly, our local tree farm is up for sale (every year) and then to make matters worse, they had a devastating fire this year in the wreath and flocking barmn the day after we bought our wreaths. While whoever buys it will probably keep it as a tree farm, there’s no guarantee it will remain the same as we know it. 🙁

 

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 12 ~ ADVENT CALENDARS ~ BLOG 366.345B

There are literally thousands of different advent calendars. The calendars can be homemade DIY or quite elaborate. It’s entirely up to you.

These days most are promotional items and come in every form from daily chocolates to beers. You can make your own, find them on ETSY, EBAY… but what do they stand for? What is advent?

Advent itself is Christian followers remembering the birth of Christ in celebration of His birth and the anticipation of His return. Advent originates from Latin meaning “coming” or “arrival. Advent begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas. Beginning the Church’s liturgical year, Advent (from, “ad-venire” in Latin or “to come to”) is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. Advent runs December 1st – December 24th this year.

This year the first Sunday was December 1, the second is December 8, and the third one will be the 15th. The third one is also known as Gaudette Sunday and is a time of rejoicing that the fast is almost over. The fourth Sunday will be December 22nd with advent ending on December 24th.

Advent calendars are a cute little way to help kids not only countdown to Christmas, but also learn along the way. Many families offer up a daily scripture or devotional reading to go along with the chocolate treat as a way to stay focused on the reason for the season.

 

Many families also use an Advent Wreath, burning the candles as they countdown to Christmas. Each week features a different liturgical theme. Traditionally the first week features hope and expectation of the Jewish people as they await the Saviour’s arrival and reminding Christian believers to wait for Jesus’ second coming. The second week focuses on preparation and the third week celebrates the coming of the Messiah while the final week celebrates God’s peace and love.

Both royal purple and Sarum blue are used to symbolize the preparation, penitence and royalty to welcome the new king at Christmas time while purple is also used as the color of suffering during the week of Lent and Holy Week. Most churches have shifted their emphasis to the Sarum blue for Advent and reserving the royal purple for the Easter season. Pink replaces the blue in week 4 as a shift happens to lessen the emphasis of penitence and turn the attention to the celebration of the season.

Red and green derive from old European practices using evergreens and holly to symbolize the ongoing life and hope that Christ’s birth brings to the world. Red and green are NOT actually liturgical colors for the season.

LAYERED SALAD ~ BLOG 366.345

With all the potential possibilities this recipe looks like a football play at times, but it’s actually a salad I first had at a church potluck many years ago. I have made it ever since and adapted it time and time again to accommodate our tastes.

It adapts easily and lends itself to many a theme. When I make it Mexican I add rinsed and drained black beans and I’ll use a frozen Mexican corn instead of the peas. I’ll also use a taco blend grated cheese instead as well as adding taco seasoning to the dressing.

You can also make this fruity by using fruit flavored yogurts instead of the mayonnaise and substituting frozen fruit for the frozen peas.

Maybe replace a bit of the torn lettuce with spinach, add some hard boiled eggs slices, pickled beets and/or add some mustard to the dressing layer. Be creative and use your imagination to add your favorites and make your own combinations.

LAYERED SALAD

DRESSING
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Scant 1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

  • Whisk together until smooth. Set aside.

SALAD
4 cups torn iceberg lettuce (I like a combo of romaine and butter lettuce)
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped (I like a combo of red and green onions)
1 small red pepper, cleaned and chopped
1 small green pepper, cleaned and chopped
1 (10 ounce) bag frozen peas
1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup craisins
3/4 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cup FINELY grated cheddar (I like a combo of star cheddar and Monterey Jack)

  • Layer accordingly with the lettuce on the bottom and cheese on top.
  • Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
  • Chill 6-12 hours or even overnight.
  • Toss and serve immediately.

NOTE:

  • While it takes a bit more time, you can make this in individual bowls for company presentation.
  • You can also add crispy onions or croutons just before serving for a crispy element.

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ DAY 11 ~ DECORATIONS/ORNAMENTS ~ BLOG 366.344B

Hubby says I never met a Christmas decoration or ornament I didn’t like. He’s NOT wrong, but I am discerning in my tastes. He would also tell you that our tree is going to collapse under the weight of all of the sentimental and treasured ornaments. 😀 What he forgets is that MOST of our family has made me the “safety deposit box” for all things nostalgic not to mention all of our own treasures from over the years. This year I have really cut back though and gone for super simple. That said, I recently received a message from my previous SIL who it turns out has some handmade lace ornaments that my grandmother made. My brother had told her to keep them, but she said she doesn’t feel right about it and is sending them back to me.

One of my favorite shows was THE BIG BANG THEORY which always makes me laugh as I picture Penny asking about Sheldon’s Ornament Placement Template. LOL There is no such thing as a proper way to place an ornament in our house 🙂 We believe in the more the merrier theory.

The ornaments below are some of our homemade bulbs.  Several years ago I made quite a few and then did them with my girl scout troop also. Hubby liked them so well that we have now donated all our store bought bulbs and made MORE than enough of these for the entire tree and then some.

I absolutely adore is my Scentsy nativity.

I do have MANY favorite indoor decorations. Hubby and I agree on outdoor decorations and that he’s MOSTLY in charge of location. Outdoor decorations are mostly generic and none that are very sentimental, but indoor decorations are mainly hand me downs and super sentimental so I am more particular about them AND their placement.

I am seriously paring down my decorations and ornaments each year. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but a few things no longer hold an appeal for me. LOL For example, hubby and I decided that the “blow ups” that we bought for the munchkins next door are going to go away after this year for a couple of reasons.

  • Here in the Pacific North West we get a lot of rain and snow during the holidays making them a pain in the neck.
  • We also get a lot of wind during December making them a pain in the neck requiring extra securing to keep them from taking flight.
  • After they go down at night they sometimes end up in strange positions so they don’t always want to return to their upright positions readily without going out to help them the next day, and often that is in the rain or snow.
  • The extension cords are all over the yard and have to be moved to do yard work.
  • PLUS I am so tired of listening to them hum all the time.

So, outside decorations are being streamlined big time! That said, I did buy a new set of adorable wooden trees that a friend’s SIL is making. I’ve strung them with lights and they are in my entry way.

What about you? Do you have favorite decorations and ornaments? Are they hand me downs from family?

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 49 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.344

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

Thursday morning’s earthquake off the coast of California triggered a TSUNAMI warning for us. Have seen the signs for years, but never experienced an actual warning until now. Friday was spent cleaning and finish winter prep around here.

On Saturday I FINALLY completed my holiday decorating inside and hubby finished the outside just before the rain began. We literally finished just before we had to leave and meet friends to watch the DUCKS vs. PENN STATE game which did not disappoint. DUCKS won (45-37) and are now 13-0! We ALL had a GREAT time.

Then on Sunday we stored all the boxes from the decorating and I began planning my baking schedule for the neighbor plates I’ll be making and checking to see if I had all my ingredients. I also started arranging things for girl’s night this next Wednesday. I’ve also been wrapping the gifts for the Foster kids that I’ll be delivering this next week. Congratulations Jean on the Chiefs win last night – 2 inches more to the left and it would have been a loss.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

12/9 MONDAY – MOSTLY SUNNY after the fog burns off 43°/26°
12/10 TUESDAY – MOSTLY CLOUDY after the fog burns off 44°/30°
12/11 WEDNESDAY – MOSTLY CLOUDY after the fog burns off 46°/38°
12/12 THURSDAY – RAINY 46°/38°
12/13 FRIDAY – RAINY 45/37°
12/14 SATURDAY – RAIN!!! 45°/38° YUCK WE’RE DOING WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA AT 1PM 🙁
12/15 SUNDAY – RAINY 44°/38°

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I was able to get EVERYTHING done over the weekend. I will need to spruce up a bit after my prep for girl’s night on Wednesday.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I am LITERALLY cooking out and planning my menus around the freezer and pantry cleaning them both out to start the new year completely fresh! The good news about this is that I have very little to shop for except a bit of produce and dairy here and there. I also lucked out and have no appointment until I drop off the foster kid gifts on Friday morning 😀
  • PAPERWORK & PHONE CALLS I have tons to do, but most will wait until Thursday or next week.
  • PROJECTS Jewelry trees, homemade vanilla and some painting projects for girl’s night Wednesday.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • STREAMING We’re watching HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER as a late night comedy.
  • CABLE I’ve finally gotten the DVR cleaned up until November so will keep working on dwindling it down as I bake this month.

READING TIME

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

12/9 MONDAY
12/10 TUESDAY
12/11 WEDNESDAY
12/12 THURSDAY
12/13 FRIDAY
12/14 SATURDAY
12/15 SUNDAY
DINNER
roast chicken, glazed carrots & mashed potatoes
 brisket sandwiches and coleslaw
beef stew and biscuits
 lemon chicken and rice soup
 out
CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own
pot roast, glazed carrots and mashed potatoes
DESSERT
 
grasshopper brownies
 
bacon and waffles

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I have a friend that LOVES to try all the crafts she sees on Facebook and she made this BIG star for me out of yard sticks and light string! I LOVE it!!!

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK

  • OLD FASHIONED OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
  • CRAZY PIZZA BREAD
  • LAYERED SALAD

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 10 ~ FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITIONS ~ BLOG 366.343B

This has always been a really hard category for me.  I LOVE Christmas!  There is nothing about this season I don’t like short of maybe crowds of rude people and Black Friday which I don’t participate in, at least not in the physical presence. My extent of Black Friday shopping is a bit of Amazon shopping from the couch.

Sometimes seeing things through someone else’s eyes can give the same old traditions new meaning and in the long run that can also make the favorite traditions and the memories mean that much more.

If I had to pick just one tradition though, it would be putting up the tree as a family while eating leftover turkey (from Thanksgiving) sandwiches. When I was a kid we usually put our tree up the day after Thanksgiving and would leave it until at least Kings Day, the Epiphany on January 6th.

Hubby and I USUALLY still do that and for that reason we like to go cut our own tree so it’s fresh and lasts the entire time. I use an apple cider/sugar mix that keeps the sap from forming on the cut area and keeps the water cool and full. We were going to have a live tree this year,but this year we broke with tradition because of a fire at our local tree farm and so we used the artificial tree 🙁 Fortunately, the tree farm was able to open again for trees only, but the timing didn’t line up for us.

When I was a kid we did a BIG family get together with a HUGE buffet of fun food and we opened our family presents on Christmas Eve. My cousins and I were recently reminiscing about some of those holidays and LOL how horrible our wardrobes were back then. Thankfully, I’m not in the top picture because I remember what I was wearing! But I love my brother’s plaid pants and Monica’s floral blouse. If you don’t hear from me for a few days I’m SURE it’s because one them found me after seeing that I posted this picture LOL 😀😀FORTUNATELY, My mom retired that tablecloth finally, unfortunately it was only a couple years back! I never did like it so that made me very happy!

Then on Christmas Day we would do Christmas morning and “Santa” with just the immediate family followed by a BIG turkey dinner with all the trimmings including my dad’s stuffing and giblet gravy with ALL the family as well as extended family, which included crazy Aunt Louise and Uncle Herb. I replicated dad’s stuffing recipe a few years ago (Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing) and that is now a MUST TRADITION for the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals no matter what the protein is.

Hubby reminded me recently that a fun tradition we did when our youngest was still at home was have birthday cake for Christmas morning breakfast. LOL I didn’t really consider this a “Christmas” tradition so have never really talked about it. Eric’s birthday is on Christmas. My cousin’s is on Christmas Eve and I grew up watching her feel slighted because so many people would round her birthday and Christmas into one big ball. After we grew up I would send her birthday present wrapped in bright colorful paper in October 😀 She always knew she could open it early and it made her feel better. In that same tradition I would make Eric a birthday cake for breakfast that didn’t resemble Christmas in any way and we would start Christmas morning with birthday and then transition into Christmas around the tree.

But, what was is just that, WAS so our newest tradition in the last several years is watching Christmas movies, just the two of us and dreaming about moving to every small town depicted in them, kind of like Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls.  We loved that show!

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 9 ~ Christmas Markets & Fairs ~ BLOG 366.342B

I’ve been to a few local Holiday fairs and will go to another one next Friday, but I skipped the big county one yesterday. It’s been so repetitive the past couple years and I don’t really “need” anything and sadly last year was quite disappointing with a lot of repetitive vendors and many with not so hand crafted items. 🙁

Most of my shopping this year has revolved around shopping for my Eagles group who has again adopted some local foster kids. I’m chairwoman this year and I’m afraid a few of the ladies are probably not as happy with me because I told the coordinator we would help with the teenagers. The teenagers hold a special place in my heart because they are the most forgotten in programs like these. I am also making them each stockings to add in some fun items that aren’t on their needs lists. I’m also including things like toothbrushes and hand lotions.

CNN.com has a great article about the 17 BEST Christmas Markets around the world.

If only I could travel to them all, but that just isn’t in the cards for me so I watch them be featured in Hallmark Christmas movies and dream. I would LOVE to travel to those markets and fairs that have all of the town interactive, but the closest I come to that here is running into everyone I know at the local ones as well as the parade that is coming up on the 21st.

I do try and participate, as well as shop at the markets and fairs locally around me. And by around me I mean within 100 miles or so for the most part.

A girlfriend and I traveled 225 miles last year for the best one we had been to in awhile. It was held at a large Fairgrounds and was in 3 separate buildings with vendor trailers peppered in between the buildings. We were fortunate that day that it was also beautiful weather. It was so fruitful that we made a couple trips back to the car to unload ourselves of bags. We tried it again this year, but it just wasn’t the same. Unfortunately, it had become so much like our local one.

I certainly do my part to shop local and not have everything delivered by Amazon or buy from discount stores. Unfortunately, many of the things I was hoping to purchase as gifts just weren’t available this year from the same vendors or the vendors I was hoping for have closed up shop.