Our 'big ass' Christmas Tree

We got our Christmas Tree today. Every since we have been married, we have always gone to local tree farm and cut our trees. One of the benefits of living in WA State...there a million tree farms! And at the tree farms, you pay AT LEAST $40. And that is just for the basic tree. I always like the nicer ones and end up paying way more. Well last year we went to the Ranger Station (about 11 miles from our house, up the Mountain Loop Highway). Got a permit for $10. And we spent the afternoon driving around the mountains, in the snow, looking for a tree. WE HAD A BLAST. All three kids went and they had so much fun. We stopped several times so the kids could take pictures of the awesome views. And we were WAY UP THERE. (Of course we took a few side roads to test Davids truck out on the trails. It was fun....bouncy....but fun:-)

THIS year, we headed out again. Unfortunantly all the kids had plans for the day, so it was just David and I. It wasn't quite the fun experience as last year....it was POURING rain..nothing like last year when we had tons of snow. But we took the dogs and didn't dwell too much that the kids weren't with us.

We are in the new house so we wanted a really tall tree to fit our vaulted ceilings. We finally spotted the perfect tree!

David proceeds to cut it down then we realize it is REALLY big. So David gets to work on trimming it up a bit.

Now its time to load it in the truck. HOLY SMOKES. It barely fits into the truck. OOPS....looks we did get a bit over zealous.

So it took a bit of finangling to get it into the house...and even more manuevering to make it STAY put! But its up...all decorated and SO BEAUTIFUL. And for TEN DOLLARS.

My nephew Easton said it looked like a monster, the first time he seen it! LOL

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,because it means you've made a difference. It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings. ~~ Author Unknown ~~

Happy Thanksgiving

For YEARS, I have this tradition of making pies the night before Thanksgiving. (I know I'm not the only one!) Even the years when someone else has offered to bring pies....I still make some. Its my little way of having a family tradition that I can count on....and maybe pass on to my girls. (neither who show much interest in cooking. LOL)

I usually make the basic pumpkin, pecan and apple pies. Once in a while I stray and add a new twist to the recipes, but always the same flavors of pie.

FLASHBACK to a few years ago. I had all my ingredients assembled early in the day and was just hanging out...waiting to start. I was watching Oprah and she had Racheal Ray on. They were making Pomegrante Martini's. I got a wild hair; looked up recipe online....and ran out the door to grocery store and liquor store.

Lets just jump ahead a bit and say that I got WASTED...and none of my pies turned out that year. And my family has not let me live that down.

So this year, I making 4 pies. One each of basic pumpkin and pecan. And my sister in law requested a Chocolate Pecan Pie AND a Pumpkin Cream Pie. So that makes four. (no apple this year.)

Its pretty pathetic when I open a bottle of wine and my girls see me and groan "oh no....moms drinking....no one eat the pies tomorrow!"

LOVELY!

BUT...I have managed to maintain a decent buzz while making pies and not get too drunk! I'm sure my pies will turn out!!!

What do you think?????



EDIT: So I typed this as the pies were cooling. Left to go next door....only to come home a few hours later and discovered that the pecan pie was MISSING! After looking around, I found the empty pie plate on the floor. And Jake, the dog, acting very shameful!!! OMG he ate a whole pecan pie! Needless to say, he's sleeping in the garage tonight. Apparently I jinxed myself. I mentioned to Kayleigh about how in our other house, every year the cats would get into the pies...or there would be kitty footprints across the pie. This year we thought we were in the clear with only one cat who spends most of her time outside. Guess Jake just felt it was his turn!

I'm also trying a new side dish recipe. Fresh Corn with Wildrice

I will let you know what the verdict is on my 'drunken recipes'. hehehehehe

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Give thanks...be grateful for what you have and not dwell on what you don't:-)

Love to all.

Grades

I think the motivation of getting his liscense and possibly a car; have done the trick!! Dylan had a GREAT mid quarter report card last month. 2 A's, 3 B's and one Pass (he is a T/A for a biology class....its pass or fail).

His quarter report card was almost the same....although he dropped one of those B's to a F! I guess he failed to turn in his quarter project. But his teacher emailed me today and said that Dylan has already turned it 25 extra credit assignments to try to make up for it! He said he was on track to raise the grade for the semester.

WAHOO...about time:-)

Skinny Bitch update

Soooo, as the end of the year nears....I guess I should update on my weight loss journey. As of now, I have lost 20 pounds this year. Not as much as I wanted to, but I am happy to report that I have kept it off all year long; even over the Summer which I've always had a tendacy to regain any weight that was lost in the Spring.

I blame my low numbers on my Skinny Bitch partner. The bitch got pregnant this year! LOL, j/k! So her Skinny Bitch journey has been put on hold till the New Year. She will have had her baby during the holidays and ready to get back on track. We will hit the new year running!!

Yah, Yah...I know I can't blame it all on her. I need to take some accountability that I slacked. But I guess ending the year with a 20 pound loss from last year is a success.....RIGHT?

Fight the H8

Auntie, let's bake a cake!!

Yesterday, when I was talking to my nephew I told him that when I watched him today we would bake some cookies or a cake.

Today when he got here, he comes in the house and says "Auntie, let's bake a cake".

So here is Eastons cake....he frosted himself. Did I mention he is THREE????!!

Chicken Breasts in Wine Sauce

Hmmm so its 4:45pm and the questions gets asked: "Whats for dinner".

Well...I know I'm making something but just not sure what? So I take a look at the freezer, fridge and pantry. I come up with:

frozen chicken breasts
can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
garlic
wine
and some dehydrated mushrooms

Okay..., so I wing it. I hurry around and defrost the chicken breasts in microwave. Gather some flour, oil salt and pepper. Get out the pans, cutting boards and such.

Once the chicken is FINALLY defrosted, I pound out the breasts, season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Quickly saute in pan, along with garlic:


Remove chicken to a baking dish then I deglaze the pan with some white wine, stirring up all the yummy brown pieces (and tasting wine at this point is A-OK):


Now I add the mushrooms and let them rehydrate:


Add the cream of mushroom soup and let it simmer for a bit:


Pour sauce over chicken, in baking dish:


Bake till done and then serve over white fluffy rice with green beans on the side:



DELISH!!! And a big hit with the family.


So here is my final recipe and directions:

Chicken Breasts with Wine Sauce

6 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
LOTS of fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine (okay..I might have used more)
handfull of dehydrated mushrooms

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thickness. Place flour, salt and pepper in a gallon-size ziploc bag. Add chicken breasts to bag and turn to coat. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic. Saute chicken breasts 2-4 minutes per side, just until browned. Transfer to prepared pan. Set aside.

Add mushrooms, more garlic and wine to skillet. Saute 3-4 minutes, scraping up browned bits. Add soup and stir till heated through (Pour over chicken. Bake, covered, for about 30 mins.

Serve over fluffy rice.

Served 6.

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