hopeky94

Wow- that's great news about how eating vegan has helped your mom... Congrats to her!! :) I think I would also agree to not necessarily going with "fake" meat substitutes... I would try varying the way the "traditional" fruit and veggies are prepared for the holiday meal. For example, finding a vegan recipe for mashed or scalloped potatoes and fixing enough for everyone by that recipe... Oh, and there are some very yummy-sounding desserts from the fatfreevegan.com website (I may have to try the Pumpkin Bread Pudding )! Also, consider having some vegan "appetizers" around, for munching before the meal is ready. If your mom is doing most of the cooking, this would be perfect for her: giving her something healthy to munch on while she's fixing other foods that she may not be able to eat anymore! There are several recipes for snacks and appetizers on the previously mentioned vegan website... plus here's a dish my meat-eating family LOVES that is delicous, makes a BIG amount, and I'm pretty sure would fit perfectly with a vegan diet (can use corn tortillas to fry or bake chips at home)! :) Southwestern Bean Salad Dip 1 can kidney (or red) beans 1 can black beans 1 can chick peas (aka garbanzo beans) 2 stalks celery, chopped* 1 large red onion, chopped* 1 medium tomato, chopped* 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed (optional) 3/4 cup mild salsa (thick & chunky) 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup lime juice 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt (can use less) 1 teaspoon cumin (*Large veggies should be chopped to approximately same size as beans.*) Rinse and drain first 3 ingredients and transfer to large mixing bowl. Add next 4 ingredients and blend lightly (so the beans don't get mushy). Set aside. In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients (liquids and spices) well, then pour that over the veggie mixture. Stir to evenly coat all veggies. Refrigerate to allow flavors to blend, at least 2 hours (overnight is best). Stir again just before serving. Serve with tortilla chips (the 'scoops' kind work best) or corn chips for dipping. Originally, this was served as a bean salad-- until someone discovered how well it works as a chunky dip and is complemented by the taste and crunch of tortilla and/or corn chips! So if you want to serve it as a salad instead of a dip, I would suggest crushed tortilla or corn chips sprinkled on top of each serving (sort of like croutons).

Sounds like a fun tradition- wish I'd had something like that as a child! :) Some ideas that might work: - If your daughter's big enough to get her own dishes out of the cabinet, switch the locations of them one night (i.e. glasses where plates should be, plates where bowls should be, etc.) and non-chalantly ask her to get one of them out for you. - Swap out all of one type of her clothes (shirts, socks, etc.) with the same amount of your own clothes (or if you normally lay them out for her, swap those out after she's asleep)... or could do the same thing as the dishes idea but with different drawers (her undies in her sock drawer and vice versa) - If she can read, try to find some cute riddles that the "elf" could leave for her, hidden somewhere that she looks at or deals with every morning (her cereal bowl, her shirt sleeve, a door knob) - One that's a little simpler and quicker: get some of those paints that people use on car windows that wash off, and use them to draw a picture or write a message on her window or bathroom mirror (using more than one color would be cute!) - Another simple (and not too hard to clean up) idea: get one or more rolls of paper streamers and "decorate" with them-- criss-crossing the hallway and/or doorways, dangling from lights or fans (basically, like the elf TP'd the inside of your house with streamers! - Blow up several balloons and put them in some small but unexpected space, like the dryer or hamper or bathtub That's all I've got right now-- hope they'll help! Oh, and some of those should be things you could do at a hotel, too, while you're in NYC...

In my office, we buy & wrap "Santa" gifts for kids from needy families that my church is giving food baskets to (then I take them to my church and help deliver them when we deliver the food baskets). Some coworkers still buy something for everyone in the office (one guy gives each person a couple cans of peanuts or cashews; I like to put candy and a small gift like gloves or an ice scraper inside a cheap coffee mug or tumbler; etc.)... But what we DO still enjoy is our mini-stockings: we each have one of those little stockings like you can get 4/$1 with our name written on it with glitter paint. We lay them out on a table (nowhere good to hang them!), and whoever wants to can put candy, jewelry, pencils, or any little trinket thing in each stocking. The only rules are it must fit in the stockings, be in good taste, and each stocking must get the same or something equal to what the others get. It's always so much fun to go check our stockings each day, to see if anything new has appeared! :) When we used to do a gifts for everyone, we drew names-- each person would write their name on a piece of paper, then things like favorite color, favorite sport/team, hobbies, etc. Then those were folded and put in a bowl to be drawn out. That way, any new coworkers (or even ones that keep to themselves a lot) didn't feel left out! And with this method, you can do "Secret Santa" where you bring in a small gift once a week thru December, or you can do just one small/medium gift (set a $ limit) to exchange at a Christmas potluck. Oh, and personally, I've never given my bosses anything different than what I give everyone else, I guess because we considered ourselves part of a team. (Although my new boss that many of us are having problems with might get a bag of coal this year- LOL!) But if I had a boss who went above and beyond for his/her employees, I might consider a little something extra, or maybe ask coworkers to go in with me to buy a gift card to a nice restaurant...

Has anyone heard a date or any other info for the Sears Friends & Family sale this year? I know it's usually on a Sunday evening sometime in Nov (before BF, of course), and they usually have BF prices plus an extra % off for using your Sears card. I look forward to it every year, as that makes one LESS early-morning stop on BF for me! :) TIA for any info!

Photo 1: This year, in addition to the shopping cart line barricades, two brave associates will be seated in the corner to answer questions like “Where’s the end of the line?” and “Can I go in early to go to the restroom?” & laugh at the idiots who attempt to jump the barricades at 4 minutes prior to opening. Photo 2: Hey guys-- the “handicapped parking” sign above you is NOT referring to your video golf score! On second thought, you might qualify as “mentally challenged”… Photo 3: “Due to lack of interest, we have postponed our sale until further notice. When our sales people are interested in DEALING with all of you, we will let you know. Thank you and have a good day!”

I don't know if it's local to my area or nationwide, but I heard on the local news that the Salvation Army is extending their deadline for "the first time ever." As of yesterday, the Angel Tree in our mall still had about 1/3 of the original number of angels still waiting to be bought for! So a guy friend and I are planning to go get an Angel from that tree tonight, then go on a mini-shopping spree... since we'll also be buying for FIVE teen boys from another program in my hometown (about 30 miles away)!! Each year, my home church does food baskets for 3-4 families in the area, and I bring the kids' names and wish lists to my office for my coworkers and myself to buy gifts for. This year there were 10 kids, and I've already bought for a 9 yr old girl; these 5 boys are ones that some of the men in the office gave money toward gifts for. I don't know if I have enough to buy as much as I'd like... but my guy friend said he'll help me cover the rest if I'll help him with shopping for the Angel Tree child. :) So it sounds like I'll be shopping till I drop this weekend! LOL I just wish I had more experience shopping for teen boys....

Here ya go Johnny-- if ya still want to make those, ahem, "changes"! LOL http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TvTsPqQ4UFg/SxVi4EnWczI/AAAAAAAAAuc/R2yXI4I_1mc/s400/CharlieBrownFootball.jpg

THANK YOU, JohnnyLaRue, for finding this for us (okay, for ME, lol)!!! And ROFL at your "poor Chuck" comment-- ain't that the truth?! Following a link from that page, I found another blog that says Charlie Brown will now be show on Dec 8 and 15-- woohoo, I can watch him on my birthday and again a week later! But if you plan on watching that on the 8th, better watch "The Year Without a Santa Claus" on ABC Family at 7pm tonight, or else DVR it when it's shown at 8pm on the 8th! <sigh> Oh brother!

My church provides food baskets every year for 3-4 families, and for the last 4 years my office has bought for the kids of these families. We call them our "stocking kids" because I take the info for each child and print it out inside of a picture of a little stocking. Each person who wants to help takes a stocking, buys for the child, then brings the wrapped gifts to the office for me to take to the church to be delivered with the baskets. I always try to buy a little something for each parent too, even if it's just gloves and a scarf. A couple of years, I also bought real stockings for the kids and asked coworkers to bring in candy and other small items to stuff them. But my favorite part of the whole experience is helping to deliver everything. When small kids ask, we've told them that Santa was very busy and asked us to help. We've had parents help us set everything in the garage or storage building so the kids won't see it (they hope!) and some who made sure the kids weren't home when we came. But probably the most precious to me are the children who understand what's going on and are soo thrilled and appreciative-- and anxiously begging the parents to let them open some! LOL Delivering those baskets and gifts is THE highlight of my Christmas season and helps me to remember the TRUE meaning of the season, when everything else around me seems so hectic and chaotic!

My mom has decided not to put out her big village this year, as they're in the middle of replacing the hardwood in the room where she normally displays it. But shopping4my3son's post about using bookshelves gave me an idea: making a small country/fishing display inside her wooden boat shelving unit! Her boat isn't very big though (maybe 4 ft tall, 2 ft wide at the bottom, and about 4 inches deep) and only has 2 shelves (might be able to add one more short one though)... Can anyone help me with some ideas on how to do this?? She has all different shapes and sizes of houses (picked up at rummage sales over the years), a few little trees, a few people (mainly carolers), train stuff, prob more stuff I'm forgetting, lol... From her year-round stuff displayed on the shelves, she has some cute "fishing" stuff (a miniature fish basket, a couple of stuffed animals dressed in fishing gear, etc)-- but size-wise, most of it would be too big compared to the houses. Also, what do you all use to keep small pieces from falling over? Mom sets everything on a layer of batting (she won't use the loose, sprinkled-on snow stuff), which works great to keep the houses from scratching the table... but the trees, lightposts, people, etc. all end up on their sides! LOL And if I do the scene in the boat shelf and want to hang it back on the wall the way it usually is, I'll definitely need something to hold stuff in place, too... TIA for any and all suggestions/ideas, and a big thanks for all of the ones already posted!! :)

Yeah, I know-- but 1) I'm too cheap to buy them when I can watch them for free, and 2) seems like when I buy a movie, I'm LESS likely to watch it because I know I can watch it whenever and end up filling my TV watching time up with other once-a-year specials!

Oh, and speaking of crockpots, I have the easiest and (IMO) yummiest mac n cheese recipe-- don't know who came up with this, but it's been a blessing when I need a homemade side dish and don't want the mess/hassle/etc. of traditional homemade dishes! Enjoy!!:) Super-Easy Mac n Cheese (Crockpot) 1 crockpot liner (optional, but see my note below) 1 box (8 oz.) elbow macaroni, uncooked 1 container (16 oz.) cottage cheese 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine 2 cups shredded cheese, any variety (I like all cheddar or cheddar/jack combo) 2 cups boiling water Put liner inside crockpot (not required, but makes cleanup TONS easier!). Pour in all other ingredients, in the order they are listed. No need to mix (honest- I never mix it and it's still perfect every time!). Put lid on crockpot, and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours (do NOT remove lid during cooking time). Stir and serve!

I wish I had this recipe a couple months ago when my parents' garden was OVERFLOWING with jalepenos! Thanks so much for posting it!!:) One question: have you ever tried freezing your poppers after coating them and frying them straight from frozen at a later date? Would they still get hot enough in the middle by the time the outside is golden? (BTW, what's the approx diameter of the poppers?) I'd love to make some of these with next year's crop and cook them up for holiday snacking! Thanks again!!

I just found out last night that the President will be speaking at 8 tonight, and I'm assuming that the 3 big networks (abc, nbc, cbs) will carry it....... but Charlie Brown is supposed to be on ABC at 8 tonight! :( Anyone heard if/when they'll reschedule the show?? I need my Peanuts fix, darn it!

Lots of good advice above, just wanted to add in the only "trick" I sometimes use that isn't mentioned here: if you add too much liquid when mixing them, you can either carefully attempt to heat them up more and evaporate the extra liquid.... or add a small amount of potato flakes (instant potatoes) to thicken them back up! If you do add potato flakes, be sure to add VERY gradually and mix them in really well each time so you'll know if you need more. As long as you don't use too much of them (and make sure to add them while the mixture is still hot), no one should be able to tell the difference!

For people worried about pushing a cart around, a couple of ideas: - I don't know who sells them, but at flea markets and such I always see people pushing/pulling a smaller personally-owned cart: maybe 3 ft tall, about 1 1/2 ft length and width, with little wheels at the bottom rear corners. It wouldn't have quite as much space as a regular cart, but it would get into tighter spaces and save you from having to carry everything around in your arms! - What I do is: when I get there around 2:30 or 3:00, I first head to the Rubbermaid storage box aisle. I find the biggest box (not a see-thru) that will sit in my cart and lay the lid on its side between the box and the side of the cart. Then I head off to do my price matching and scouting out what's where. All of my items go inside the box, with either my jacket or clothing I'm buying covering any "hot" items. Then if I NEED to go down any aisles that are too crowded for my cart, I park it as close as possible (making sure I can still see it from where I'll be) and put the lid on the box. I remove it again as soon as I get back to my cart-- I feel this not only keeps people from being tempted by items in my cart that they want, but even if they see me put something in there and want to take it, there's no way they could manage to take that huge lid off there, find the item, and take it without being noticed!! (FYI- I've never had anything taken out of my cart by doing this, and I've never had any problems with WM employees concerning this either!) Oh, and if I decide I don't want the box, I just leave it at the check-out-- the cashier may even want to keep it there to contain all those items people leave laying around the register!

I am sooo glad I decided to go to WM in the smaller town on the way to the larger area where the other stores are... Eight out of the ten items shown will be all in one main aisle there-- as opposed to the newly remodeled store in the bigger town, where they're all over the place!! Kinda makes me wonder if maybe my store's planning one BIG line for those items and handing out tickets to whatever item(s) you're wanting from those 8... hmmm, might have to stop by and see if I can find out! I just hope they don't try to crowd the pallets of "little" stuff in between those-- talk about some major chaos!! lol

Just bumping to remind folks of this great list! :) Here's what's listed for tonight and tomorrow, which includes 2 new programs-- Holly and Hal Moose tonight, and Curious Geourge tomorrow! Enjoy!!

I like the 60 ct Rayovac AA deal at Home Depot for $9.99! (I just hope they either have it online or somewhere else has the same size packs and will price-match, since we don't have a HD closeby anymore! )

My thoughts and prayers go to all who are struggling with loss during the holidays... For those who believe in God and take comfort in the true reason we celebrate Christmas, feel free to take a few moments to read and reflect on these: A Mustard Seed Christmas "The Longest Night" meditation

Have you tried asking your grandma for her recipe? I know some folks don't use an actual recipe for it, but maybe she'd at least be able to tell you approximately how much she uses of what ingredients... Personally, I LOVE Stovetop stuffing! :) What my mom does, though, is start off with Stovetop, then adds crumbled cornbread and/and regular bread (she freezes leftovers of them during the year just for this), some chopped celery (or celery seed, if she forgot to buy it or doesn't have enough), sometimes a little chopped onion, and quite a bit of sage. For the liquid part, she adds broth (either canned or homemade from boiling the turkey neck and giblets) until the mixture is basically the same consistency as Stovetop would be. Then she spreads it in a long baking dish and bakes it until it gets brown and a little crispy on top. I think that's everything she uses... I've seen her make it for so many years, you'd think I'd know by now! LOL

If anyone still needs to buy Christmas cards... Trim A Home 18-ct. boxed cards are 50% off, reg. $3.49-- kinda makes me wish I needed some (I have 5 boxes from past years' after-Christmas sales, lol)!!

I have a 13 month old great-nephew to buy for, so these are some great ideas- thanks!! Since he and his parents don't live nearby and will be driving in for the holidays, I was thinking of getting him something small plus a gift card that the parents can use to buy something for him later, so they won't have to lug as much stuff home. Where should I get the gift card for to get the most "bang for my bucks"? I'm not familiar with stores in their area, so one that could be used online would be good too (maybe include some coupon codes that are good till January?)...

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts and ideas... I'm still struggling with this, but your responses have made it a little less stressful! :) Here's what I'm having trouble understanding: This will be the first year in her adult life that sis-in-law no longer works outside the home (was missing a lot due to health issues, so she quit). So I do understand that makes money issues a bigger deal than ever before, even though bro makes a "good" salary. But-- she is a very creative person and is good at things like matting pictures, flower arrangements, and graphic designing. She doesn't cook often, but I know she is good at it when she does. Wouldn't it make more sense to put those talents to use and create unique and thoughtful (but inexpensive) gifts, than to just completely "sit out" of the gift-giving?? Like I mentioned before, she's a reserved and sensitive person, but she does have a good heart and I hate for them to miss out. I'm just not sure I could handle exchanging gifts while they can only watch. Would it be wrong for me to try to convince her to reconsider participating, either with a lower $ amount for everyone or personalized gifts that she could create? How would I even go about it, without sounding like I'm begging or badgering??

Background: I have one brother and one sister. Both are several yrs older than me and married with kids and grandkids (sis has 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters; bro has 2 sons and 1 grandson). I'm a single 30-something with no kids. My siblings and I all live within a mile of our parents, who are retired and have a fairly limited income. Our tradition is we all get together for Christmas breakfast, then open gifts as a family each year. Every year, I end up being the one to get everybody's info regarding Christmas gifts. Last year for the first time, the adults drew names for $25 gifts instead of buying for everyone (but we all still bought for the four kids under 18 and for our parents). It didn't go perfectly (some really put thought in it, while others bought gift cards), but I thought it went well considering.... So I emailed sis, sis-in-law, and 2 adult nieces (bro and adult nephew don't do email) last week to get sizes and wish lists for kids, plus discuss if we want to do same thing for adult gifts this year or change it up somehow. Sis and nieces want to do some variation of last year's deal, and I had no reason to believer sis-in-law would be any different, since she hadn't called or written back and bro didn't mention it over the weekend. Today, I open an email from sis-in-law, sent late Saturday night to me and sis... I replaced names, but the rest is the same below: :shock: I have NO idea what to do now, and sis suggested that we "think about it a little longer" and sent an email to nieces to try to get more ideas. This is the first we've heard of any real money problems for them, and while sis-in-law is reserved and sensitive, bro tends to tell us everything that's going on in their lives (sometimes a little too much- lol)... I have no idea how (or if) to approach her about this and certainly don't want to cause any hard feelings anywhere! And I can't keep from wondering if they've already spent oodles on their sons and grandson, like they tend to do every year... Anyone ever been in this type situation before and have any advice on how to handle (and hopefully resolve!) this?? TIA for any and ALL help!!!