Our Christmas Traditions

So I thought about it and wanted to share some of our Christmas traditions. Most all we do is centered around our religion and our love of Jesus and what all Christmas day stands for in our hearts. We have two children a 9yo boy and a 5yo girl. When we just had our son we were able to go all out...plus when it was just him I had a part time job...AND we did not have the love of Jesus in our hearts that we do now..so our daughter only knows of simpler Christmas's. We usually have some sort of dinner with my Mom on Christmas Eve and then we head to Church afterwards to Worship and have fellow ship with our friends and family. We come home the kids get a snack and off to bed they go...This year my in laws joined us at our church for the evening and then came home with us. We ended up waiting around church for a while because my mom was counting offering for the evening so my in laws took the kids driving around to look at lights...that is something we usually don't go out of our way to do it is not something we are against but....its not something we make a fuss over either...
Then on Christmas morning the kids get up and they each get 3 gifts...similar to what Jesus got on the day of His Birth. They also get a stocking filled with smaller things to kinda help pass time..LOL... This year we went above and beyond and broke all of our own rules. We got the kids a Wii ontop of there 3 gifts. Well..I can honestly say that we would not have had to get them there 3 gifts each this year...they are enjoying that Wii so much...our daughter at all of five years old..is so cute at it. I know its not fabulous and it doesnt really explain much about me...but that is something that will take time. I seem to be the odd ball..I dont have many friends who have the same beliefs or ideas about things as I do..but thats ok..this is how God has made me...and at times I feel bad for my kids for my strangeness...or when someone at CHRUCH asks them what Santa brought them...cause ya gotta know by now..we dont do the whole Santa thing...but that's ok..I can handle it. I hope no matter how you celebrated it..you had a BLESSED and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Something awesome I am doing to change our lives...

On the road to healthy living here...My DS got a Kodak Easy Share for Christmas from his Gmaw last weekend and was taking pics of such random stuff..but the one I must share with you! This is something we have been having with almost every meal for over a week now and I plan to keep serving it that often. The kids love it and so do Hubby and I.





Alright thats it for now..my exciting spinach salad that the kids are lovin! Ok they take out the peppers but Hubby and I love them. This weeks salad I will chop them up small instead of rings...but I used my slicer to save time. <3

MPM for Dec 21st 2009

Well its the week of Christmas and we have lots going...but not really when I hear from my friends and family of what all they have going. Im grateful at times not to have a big extended family...I know that doesn't sound normal but sometimes with my OCD...its hard to do lots of extra stuff...IDK if I will ever be able to explain some of what I go thru...but I wish things werent always so strange for me...but onto something I LOVE TO DO..and thats PLAN..here is my menu plan for this week of Christmas 2009.

Mon Cheeseburger Macaroni and salad
Tue Tacos
Wed Tuna Helper and peas
Thus OUT its Christmas Eve ya know..LOL...Church at 7:30
Fri Baked Ham, Baked Sweet Potato's, Sweet Corn, Rolls and Cole Slaw...and something creative for desert...IDK yet but Ill figure something out. This is the first Christmas dinner I have ever cooked....no one will join us so frozen pizza would be a hit to...LOL..
Sat and Sun will both be leftovers...cause I got a BIG ham.

You can find LOTS more awesome MPM ideas at http://orgjunkie.com/

When plans change...

So....I was going to make a chicken casarole for company on Tuesday night but one of the guests requested stuffed shells and I thought..Hmm that sounds so yummy again. So I took my happy self to the store and got the stuff I didnt have... So now what do I do with all this chicken that is thawled. Well I made chicken noodle soup for the first time EVER..lol and then I googled chedder cheese soup cause I got a few cans of it at a local discount store and I found a chicken recipe...and here is what is in my crock pot as I type.

cheesy chicken
This is for the slow cooker

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breast
1 can healthy request cream of mushroom soup (campbells)
1 can campbells cheddar cheese soup
1 box of ronzoni whole wheat penne or rotini pasta
1 cup kraft 2% mexican four cheese blend
1/2 cup fat free milk

Directions
place chicken breast in slow cooker. Season with Mrs. Dash.

mix together both soups and milk and pour over chicken.

Cook on high for 4 -6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

Use fork and shred chicken. Cook pasta according to package directions.

Mix shredded cheese and pasta in with chicken well and serve.

Number of Servings:6

Im so excited to have this for dinner. Hubby will be so suprised! HECK Im suprised I accoplished so much this morning already.

Now I am very upset about something that is going on here and it is going to CHANGE NOW! I cleaned out the fridge and came out with a grocery bag full of trash...NOT COOL!!! We can not waste so much this is sad...so many people dont have food and there I took a bag ...A BAG of food out to the trash! NOT COOL and NOT happening again! We are changing our ways starting today. Pray for my family as we make these simple yet necisarry changes!

MPM for Dec 14th 2009

So I had planned to blog my heart out last week...HA HA...that didnt happen. Well and today I thought OMG I need to Menu Plan...so here it is. I really need to work on getting my act together...LOL

Mon Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (chips if they are good..LOL)
Tue Chicken smothered in cream of mush soup mixed with sour cream topped with stove top stuffin and sweet potato fries....and our Dear Friends are coming over and bringing salad
Wed Hamburger Helper and green beans
Thu Ham loaf mashed potato's and corn
Fri...IDK something easy cause we have kids club and maybe a party there. <3

For more menu plan ideas check out http://orgjunkie.com/ for hundreds of other blogger with great ideas.

Menu Plan Monday

Greetings and Welcome to my Blog. Im not the best speller or the best prochecker so please bare with me as I go on my blogging journy. I am a FULL time stay at home my and I love it. I have just started the path to green living and am enjoying most of it. I say most of it because we have given up using our dryer...and some days...like today it would be awesome to have a dryer. It broke 4 mths ago and Hubby just doesnt have the time to get it fixed..ehmmm..or so he says. I must say that I am please with our electric bill these past few mths. Its been $55.00 for 3 mths now and thats awesome. I do know that it is about to go up. We have a space heater in our upstairs bathroom since our Corn stove does not seem to reach all the way up there to heat it. My son is loving not having a dryer because he doesnt have to switch over the laundry any more..LOL..Now Im not loving hanging the wash out in the cold. BUT...we are saving money and helping with the enviroment all at the same time. Another way I have cut costs a little is we dont use plastic sandwich bags anymore. We have cloth ones that close with velcro that my MIL made for us. She is an awesome sewer. Alright now about me...I have a touch of OCD. I need things in my life to always be the same...hubby was in the hospital last mth for 3 days with swine flu and I had a nice break down of my emotions and the stress I felt was unbeleiveable. But he is better and I am still working on getting things in order again. I also baby sit part time to help out with the groceries and gas that we need....I love the family that I am working for now. There little one that I keep is good and easy to get along with. OK enough of that for now and onto my Menu Plan for this week ahead of us...

M- Left over meat balls and mac n cheese with peas
T- Baked Chicken, scalloped potatos and green beans
W- Grilled Cheese and soup
Th-Hamloaf, mashed potatos and creamed corn
F- Chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries and baby carrots with dop
S- L- Sandwiches and chips D-Sausage,potatos and corn
Su-MILs side gets together for Christmas I need a hot dish and for that I am torn between corn pie or green bean casarole and for the cold dish I am making a spice cake....and all of those things I have on hand so I wont need to go to the store at all this week for groceries.

Im hopeing to only have to spend a few dollars at the store for next week and that will be lunch type stuff and veggies for a salad and tacos.

For more helpful ideas and just an overall great site that I love you can check out Menu Plan Monday at http://orgjunkie.com/.