"A date which will live in infamy"

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day



On December 7, 1941, the lives of Americans were interrupted as we were attacked on our home soil. Something that most people never dreamed would happen. In that attack over 2,400 Americans were killed and many more were injured. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the first step in the United States becoming involved in World War II.  Today, 70 years later, we stop to think and pray for those lost at Pearl Harbor and those who were affected by the attacks. And as Americans we stand together in remembrance and in strength knowing that we are a strong country capable of overcoming such an instance to be an even stronger nation.

Decorating and Dinner with St. Nick

We have really gotten into the Christmas spirit around our house.

My dear hubby decorated the outside of our house (for the first time ever) and it looks GREAT!

Rebecca and Bill put up the Christmas tree and decorated it!

We took the kids to "Dinner with St. Nick" at the school that I work at and that Rebecca goes to school at. All the activities and dinner was free with a donation to "Toys for Tots." I love that they joined together with a charity this year. (Last year it was pricier and was a fundraiser for the school.) Rebecca had a BLAST! 

Rebecca and Jacob with St. Nick. Jacob did NOT want to be on his lap!

Playing one of the many games

Beating up his Uncle Josh. My brother's Boy Scout troop helped run some of the games and activities.

There was face painting. My sister was the artist. She painted kids' faces for over 2.5 hours straight with NO break. She was such a trooper.

Rebecca the reindeer and one of her friends from school!

So far, this Christmas season has been filled with lots of laughter and good memories. I hope we can continue this as we get farther into December.

What fun things have you done so far?

25 Days of Christmas Music Videos: Day 6

A funny classic....

25 Days of Christmas Music Videos: Day 5

A Classic...

Menu Plan Monday

This week should be back to normal, after last week where we had birthdays and sicknesses and lots of extra activities. At least I am hopeful that this week is back to normal! I can hope!

Here is what we are eating this week:

Sunday: Baked ham, julienne or baked potatoes, green beans, pears

Monday: Spaghetti

Tuesday: Fish (for Bill), macaroni and cheese, broccoli

Wednesday: Taco pizza for Bill and I, pepperoni pizza for kids

Thursday: Whole chicken in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn

Friday: Grilled cheese and veggies

Saturday: party food

Sunday: pork chops, green beans, salad

That is the plan for what we are eating! Do you know what you are eating? Check out orgjunkie.com for more great menu ideas.

25 Days of Christmas Music Videos: Day 4

One of the few Mariah Carey songs that I like....

Private Selection Frozen Food Review: The Appetizer

Being a BzzAgent has it's perks! For one you get to try out products that are brand new on the market and review them, for FREE!

This past week, I received a new Bzz package in the mail, that contained not 1, not 2, BUT 3 FREE PRODUCT coupons to try the new line of Kroger's Private Selection Gourmet Frozen Food. I was sent a coupon for a FREE appetizer, FREE pizza, and a FREE dessert. Basically it was enough for a 3 course meal.

However, I did not use them for that. I still have not tried the pizza or the dessert that I chose, however I did try the appetizer. According the bzzagent.com:

Private Selection® Frozen Appetizers ($3 - $7) Individually handcrafted and filled with unique combinations of high-quality, savory ingredients. Hand-crafted offerings include Mediterranean Inspired Hors D'Oeuvres collection, Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets, Mushroom Walnut Profiteroles, Spanakopita.

I find this to be a bit deceiving as all the appetizers at my Kroger store were priced at $6-$7. I chose the Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets as the one that I would try.

A couple of days ago, I wanted a light lunch before I headed to work, so I made these. They were fairly easy to make. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and cheese started to melt.

As you will notice, there were ONLY 9 appetizers in the box! Now I was able to get these for free, which is good because there is NO WAY I would pay $6.49 for a box of nine little appetizers. And believe me they were little (only about 5 inches long or so).

Preparing to be disappointed like I was with the price and size, I forged ahead to eat my lunch. When I bit into one, it was VERY YUMMY! (Still not worth the price, though). There was a nice balance between cheese and chunks of chicken and little bits of pepper. They were not very spicy, but had the right amount of heat to them. I ate mine plain, although they might be good dipped in some salsa or in some mexican style queso dip.

If you are looking for a quick easy appetizer for YOURSELF then this would fit the bill (if you are willing to look past the price). However, if you are looking for a quick and easy appetizer for a party or a get together I would skip these as they are not worth their high price. Yummy but not worth the price. (You could probably make a ton of these at home from scratch for the price of one box of 9 appetizers.) Personally, I will probably not buy these in the future, unless I have a great coupon and they are on a serious sale.

Disclaimer:  As a bzzagent, I received these products and coupons free for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

25 Days of Christmas Music Videos: Day 3

Another favorite of mine....

"Mary, did you know?" by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd

5 Question Friday

Here's to another edition of Five Question Friday, where you the reader can learn just a little bit more about me, the author of this here blog.

 

1. What is your favorite Christmas decoration in your house?

I have a lot of favorite decorations, but I think the one that touches my heart the most is a crystal tear-drop ornament that we got the year that our son Travis was born still into Heaven. It has his name on it and his date of birth. It is very special to me. 2. Do you finish your Christmas shopping early or are you a last minute type?

I typically try to finish early, but this year for whatever reason I am really behind and will probably be more last minute. 3. When do you turn on your heat?When the house gets consistently around 63 degrees or so. I have little ones so I have to keep it somewhat warm. 4. Do you ever wish your blog was private?Nope. I wouldn't have started this blog if I wanted it to be private.   5. Do you put your deodorant on before of after you put on your shirt?Most of the time it is before. Thank you to My Little Life for hosting 5 Question Friday!

25 Days of Christmas Music Videos: Day 2

"I'll be Home for Christmas" by Rascal Flatts

I LOVE this version! Christmas is about being at home and being with family and friends more than the gifts!

GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!

Just a short announcement to say that the winner of my 100 Followers giveaway for the fruit and veggie coupons is:

JULIE LEMKE!

Julie, I have emailed you!

To everyone else who entered, thank you so much for entering!

25 Days of Christmas Music Videos: Day 1

One of my favorite Christmas Songs is NOT a traditional one. It is "Where Are You Christmas?" by Faith Hill. This is the song featured in the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the one with Jim Carrey). I LOVE the message in the song! Enjoy!

Book Review: The Hour That Matters Most

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Now is the time of year, where many times we feel like chickens with our heads cut off. We are often going in a million different directions, stressed out over shopping, Christmas parties and activities, and many other holiday happenings. In the midst of all this stress, one thing that is often set aside is our need to connect to our own families with one-on-one time, especially at meal time. It is this time of year that we need to refocus on the reason for the season and recommit to our families. One of the easiest ways to do this is to enjoy a family meal together.

In their new book, The Hour that Matters Most: The Suprising Power of the Family Meal, Les and Leslie Parrott with Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna, aim to help the average American family to refocus and reconnect with one another through the sharing of a daily meal together. According to the authors, sharing a meal together is the perfect opportunity for families to recommit to the family unit that they belong (to come together as a united unit), to show affection and appreciation towards other members of the unit, to have positive communication with one another that is face-to-face versus over the phone, Internet or through text messages, and to just spend time with your loved ones. Sharing a meal also helps families to cultivate spiritual well-being and allows each members a chance to gain insight in coping with stress. A regular family meal is a means to gaining a better family environment for all members and is a chance to deeply reconnect as a family.

Now before you say that you cannot have this ideal dinner time with your family each day, the authors argue that you need to make it work for you. For some families, the ideal family meal is breakfast. For others, it is eating take out pizza by candlelight. What matters most is that you are doing it as a family with little or no distractions (like the tv, cell phones, etc.)

The Hour that Matters Most  offers ideas for making meal time work for you as what is fit for YOUR family, as well as menu ideas, recipes, and advice on all aspects of meal-time including parenting advice and how to talk to your kids so that they will talk to you and not tune you out and advice on how to curb conflict at the table. And the authors write in a friendly tone that shows that not every mealtime will be ideal. However it is the effort and the overall commitment to your family meal that will have lasting effects on your family and your families' values.

Another hidden gem in this book is the advice on starting a "fix and freeze" club. The authors are the co-founders of the Dream Dinners meal assembly stores. They offer practical advice for getting meals on the table by utilizing your freezer to your advantage and to gain friendship with others who may be in a similar predicament.

Overall, I was gained some valuable insight as I read this book. It reinforced to me the value of trying to at least have one family meal with my family a day. This is especially important for me to begin now that my kids are young and we can instill in them the importance of being a family unit. During this crazy holiday season, it may be hard to continue with this, but I will continue to try. Because my kids may grow up and not remember that we went and looked at Christmas lights or spent the evening shopping at Wal-mart, but they will remember and hopefully continue with their own families the family meal of the day.

Disclaimer: I was sent an advance copy of the book by the publisher to review. All opinions are my own.