Time Flies

Can't wait for 2013 to get here. My favorite number is 13 and we'll have a new baby girl in the family. 

I didn't do much decorating this year as we were out of town for Christmas. Middle daughter is 7 months pregnant so Wild Bill and I traveled there.

Among my favorite ornaments are these two little guys made by oldest daughter when she was in kindergarten...

The first is a picture of her in a cottage cheese lid.

The second is a glittery ice cream cone with the bottom bitten off.

Youngest daughter was crawling that year and managed to grab it off the tree and bite into the cone before we got it away from her.

Thirty-Two years of putting these at the top of the tree just in case someone wants another bite.

Seems like yesterday when they were brought home all wrapped up in tissue paper by a very excited little girl. Time flies.

Dolling Up For Christmas...Ben Style

Two-Year-Old Grandson Ben had a party to go to last night. He thought he needed some chapstick. Markers are a stand in for chapstick...We're hoping it will wear off.

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!

Christmas Chickens

My "Fixin To Do" list is getting longer, so I've been looking for short cuts. I found I didn't have to pack up the chickens and pig if I just fit them in with the holiday decorations. 

Surely there were chickens and pigs near the manger, right?

The biggest chicken was already up top the left cabinets, so I added a tree, some glittery leaves, a moose that lights up, and poinsettias. Yes, it's a crazy mix, but that was what was in the boxes I got down from the attic over the garage so pretend they go together, please?

Below the left cabinets, another chicken with some trees and the kitchen pig.

It's no secret...I have the worst handwriting. Pretend I just made it to look like the pig did it.

Of course Santa hangs out there too!

He's over the pig's left shoulder, hanging on the wall... See him behind the tree?

Here's a long shot of the kitchen. The shape of the room makes it hard to get a good picture.

On the right side, the snowman and Santa are partying. I left the washboard up there to add a comedic twist, but Wild Bill thought I just forgot to take it down.

Another Santa and his reindeer are up on the far right.

I've got more unpacking to do to find some garland to tie it all together. I used what I unpacked so far to wrap up the chandelier in the dining room...

 

I'm joining the following parties. Hope you will come party with me there!

 

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

 

http://stonegableblog.com

 

http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com

 

http://www.inspiredbycharm.com

 

 

 



 

 

I Wonder If They've Told Her?

Dee was a rescue dog who was wandering the roads when she was found. My middle daughter and son-in-law adopted her when she chose them, literally, while they were looking at the pound.

We've been fast friends since first we met...

In February 2010, I spent a month with Dee waiting for the first baby to arrive. Dee and I were quite a team.

We had quite a time making sure her mom exercised.

And, tho Dee didn't get to go to the hospital with her Mom and Dad...

She was quite eager to see them and stood by me while waiting for them to come home!

She didn't know that while we were at the hospital, we were partying with this little guy...

But as soon as Dad set the baby carrier down, Dee was overjoyed. No one got to hold or care for the baby without Dee over-looking the job.

Three years have gone by so fast! I wonder if anyone has told her we're going to do it all over again early next year?

I'm sure she'll do another stand up job.  She's had lots of practice.

And this time, we'll all be wearing pink!

A New Idea And Old School Storage

Our youngest daughter cleans and chops all her vegetables and fruit when she gets home from the store. Then she uses plastic containers that stack to store them in the fridge. 

Wild Bill and I were impressed with her system because, due to being hidden away, we sometimes don't use our veggies before they spoil.

We vowed to adopt Jaimee's method of cleaning and chopping before storing. But, while Jaimee uses plastic containers, we stayed with our old-school canning jars.

I don't use the metal caps that come with the canning jars when you buy them at the store. The metal caps rust easily when you wash them. Instead I use white plastic caps and use the metal ones only when I'm giving away a jar of something like homemade soup, in case the lid doesn't come back. Yeah, I'm that cheap!

You can buy the white canning jar caps at any store. I buy mine at Walmart in the canning jar section. They come a dozen to a box for around $3.00, and I buy caps for both the wide-mouth and small-mouth jars.

If you need canning jars, remember to look for them at thrift shops and garage sales. You can usually find them for about 10 to 20 cents a piece. Be sure to check the jars for any chips or cracks before you buy.

I use an erasable marker (the kind for white boards) to show what the veggies are going to be used for. That way the tops of the celery, and "less desirable" parts of the onions and such, can be stored in a jar for the "soup pot" while the better part of the celery and onion can be stored separately for tuna sandwiches or to make a salad...

The canning jars and white caps can be put in the dishwasher to clean and will withstand the hottest of water temperatures.

If you make a mistake when you label the jar cap, just use a paper towel to wipe the erasable marker off.

To store the vegetable-filled jars in the fridge, I put them in the veggie/fruit drawers.

I've used jars for a long time, I just never thought of prepping all my vegetables when I got home before I stored them. Duh!

Since the mid-90's, I've stored leftovers in the fridge in the jars with caps. I've also used them to store crackers, cereal and other dry stuff in the cupboards.

By using the large jars (instead of covered bowls) to store leftover porkchops or such in the fridge, I'm able to easily see what's available. I try to put all the left-overs in one spot in the fridge, so they don't get over looked.

We also use the pint jars for drinking sweet tea and other drinks. I learned that ages ago from my dear friend Sally, who was from Oklahoma. Sally always kept a canning jar ready for me in case I dropped by after work for what she called her "Okie Tea".  Sally taught me that only a canning jar should be used for Okie Tea!

Hope you found this useful. We're ready for the week.