Christmas Menu

*Written on Christmas Eve

Tomorrow, we're making most of Christmas dinner.  I'm not sure yet if we'll eat here or at my parents' home though.  I struggled with making a grocery list that would encompass meals for more than a week plus holiday meal items plus making sure I had extra of the necessities (milk, bread, eggs) just in case I were to run out of my regular stash on Christmas day.

Here's the menu we've derived so far:

Spiral sliced ham
Green bean casserole
Mashed potatoes
Senator Russell's Sweet Potato Casserole
Chocolate Chip cookies (which will actually be made on Christmas Eve since Santa will need a snack!)


My mom will provide rolls, a veggie tray (for pre-dinner snacking), and sugar free jello.


We bought a ham (not really remembering how HUGE they are!) and we'll be baking that tomorrow.  We aren't quite sure yet if we'll apply the glaze that comes with it.  If we do, it'll be a minimal amount.  The other recipes follow.

Recipes:

Green Bean Casserole-
     For an 8x8 pan:

• 1 can of regular cut green beans
• 1 can of French cut green beans
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (Aaron doesn't like cream of mushroom)
• French fried onions 

Preheat oven to 350* and grease an 8x8 baking pan.  Mix first three ingredients in a bowl (or you can mix directly in the pan if you don't want to dirty extra dishes-- I've done it both ways in the past), and pour into baking pan.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350*.  Remove pan from oven, sprinkle french fried onions all over the top (or to your preference) and stick the pan back in the oven for 5 minutes.  Remove, cool, and enjoy!  For a 13x9 pan, double the first three ingredients. 

Senator Russell's Sweet Potato Casserole:

This recipe has been on my mom's side of the family for years and years.  My Nana prepared a recipe book in a cute binder one year and this recipe is in it!  My mom took a picture of the recipe card and sent it to me so that I can recreate it at home.  For internet ease, the recipe we follow is very close to Version 1 on this site: Lost Recipes Found.  This site explains some of the history behind Senator Russell's recipe.  Pretty neat. 

For the chocolate chip cookies. I follow the Nestle method.  The recipe I used each time is found here. 

I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Until Next Time, 

Much love, Reba

Christmas Decor

Christmas Eve seems like a good time to show you some of our Christmas decor this year! 

I hung the handprint wreath made of both of my boys' handprints (circa 2015) on the big kitchen window. 

This MERRY felt sign adorns our kitchen door.  It was from the cutest felt creations Etsy shop, called Hopscotch and Honey!

This might be my favorite door in the whole house!  This is the view from our kitchen into our laundry room.  My mom bought me the calendar and I'm really liking the way the mint green December colors complement the season changing wreath-- also from Hopscotch and Honey!

Yesterday our elf, Q.E., was camped out in our pie safe with some ceramic Christmas mugs I made when I was a junior in high school.  Not the prettiest things, but I like them.

On our back door hangs a handprint wreath that Noah made (or his teacher made) when he was in daycare for a short period of time at Christmas 2014. 

Here is a side view of our mantle.  I had forgotten about this felt ball garland that I purchased two years ago to use as part of a photo shoot backdrop.  When I remembered it this year, I knew I had to incorporate it!

I went with a bottle brush display on the mantle this year.  All bottle brushes on my mantle (both sides) are from Target.  The small trees were $1 each, and the big trees were $3 each.  I really like how it turned out!  The trees may or may not get put away with the rest of the Christmas decorations. :)

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is this wooden German Christmas tree that my Nana got for me years ago. I used it in college as an apartment Christmas tree.  All of the ornaments are removable and the tree can come apart in two pieces and lay flat in a tiny box.  I love the nostalgia of this piece and how it looks like vintage decor.   The glass music jar next to it is from a ladies craft night at church this month.  The song sheets are from an old hymnal and mod-podged onto the glass.  A star is cut out of the sheet, and the star cut-out is then used as a hanging decoration on the jar.  We had our pick of hymns to choose from, as well as a bountiful supply of decorations.  I kept mine very simple-- probably the most simple of all the ladies who attended.

My Fontanini Nativity set takes center place over the entertainment center.  I didn't add any pieces last year, but am hoping to get some this year or maybe for my birthday.  I'd love to have a huge display several years from now.  To the right you'll see our Santa Christmas picture from last year when Avery was too little to care who held her. 

Our Santa picture from this year is a little darker and harder to see, but it includes me holding Avery.  I could feel her tense up as soon as we walked up to Santa, so I just participated in the photo taking and didn't create the scene of screaming toddlers. :)  The picture is setting behind our J-O-Y stocking holders.  I didn't choose to hang our stockings on them this year because these holders are quite heavy and I was worried that if Avery pulled a stocking down, one of these holders could seriously damage someone.  So I just have them as a display piece on the top of the entertainment center to remind us to have joy this season. Next to the Santa photo is a handprint tree jar.  My mother-in-law traced handprints of all three kids and then used their fingerprints on each tree as the Christmas lights!  All three handprints are on this jar, but the handprint you can see clearly here is Noah's.  Please note that his fingerprints are only red and blue (no yellow) and this is because he wanted "police light fingerprints."

Michael's Christmas craft that I did with him when he was four months old.  And Michael's current year school Santa picture. 

One of our end tables holds a fabric Christmas basket, which I'll be able to put Christmas candy in one day when my kids are old enough not to sneak it all day long. :)  The red phone is from Target.  We've been eyeing this phone for the past two years and this year I finally caved and let them get it.  Everytime the handset is picked up, a different message comes on (from Santa or Mrs. Claus, or the head elf, or Prancer, etc.).  All three kids have loved playing with this.

Here's our Christmas tree with only the top two thirds decorated.  We have been continually surprised this year when Avery has broken ornaments that we previously thought were shatterproof.  At the casualty of number 5, we moved ornaments higher up the tree.  Now the only thing she can reach are glittery handprint cutouts.  She hasn't noticed the presents and hasn't tried to open any of them.  I consider this a win, and I also know that this probably won't be the case next year. :)

The Nativity Advent hangs on our coat closet door.

In my room, I have the hedgehog nativity set which I won in a random drawing on the Tons and Bunches blog, in collaboration with Hopscotch and Honey!  That's my Aria diffuser in the background.  The dome is glass, so this diffuser stays in my room where I don't randomly toss around toys. :)  I always diffuse calming scents in here!

These are the Christmas countdown snowman faces that the boys made this year.  My mother-in-law helped Noah with his (left), and Michael took the reigns on his own (right).  :)

This pillow was made by my Nana, and was previously owned by my aunt who had Type One Diabetes.  When she passed, the pillow was given to me.  This is very very special. The two afghans were Christmas gifts for me and Aaron on our first Christmas together.  His aunt crocheted them in our favorite colors (green for me, red for him) and they happen to work with Christmas decor really well!

These are my favorite placemats ever!  My Nana made these and I LOVE using them each Christmas!

I hope you've enjoyed our little festive tour!  Merry Christmas Eve!

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

The Elf on a Shelf...

...or any random location in our home.

Yes, we succumbed to the millennial tradition of the Elf on a Shelf in 2016.  I've tried to keep a record of stunts/situations/locations that our elf has appeared in so that I could recreate or add to this list each year.

Here's our lists from the first two years we had our elf.  Michael named him "Q.E." which we think now was an attempt to say "Huey," but Q.E. it has remained. :)

Here's the 2016 list-- this was our first year doing it and the list is not all inclusive:

Tissue box bed- 12-08-16
Peeking out of stocking 12-09-16

Riding race car 12-10-16

Underwear on stocking holders 12-11-16

Drums set from canned goods 12-12-16

Soaking in a marshmallow tub 12-13-16
Brought Christmas tree cakes 12-15-16

Hanging onto Christmas tree star 12-16-16

Brought Fox ornaments 12-17-16

Working under a truck 12-19-16

Riding sleigh in dining room 12-20-16
Bowing to Jesus at the Nativity 12-21-16

Repelling in a Swiss seat from dining room fan 12-24-16


The 2017 list was more well-rounded:

Hanging from dining room fan with Christmas ribbon, holding a note 12-1-17
Diapers in stockings 12-2-17
On top of garbage truck 12-3-17
Putting on star 12-4-17
Brought wrapped Bathroom items 12-5-17
In the fridge 12-6-17
Snowball fight w/ cotton balls (on the dining room table-- the elf against some random toys)12-7-17
Bath of cotton balls & baby soap 12-8-17
Milkbone "cookies" with "yuck" note (the note said something like "These cookies are gross! Do NOT leave for Santa!") 12-9-17
Sleeping in tissue box 12-10-17
Toilet papered Christmas tree 12-11-17
Riding the sleigh 12-12-17
Sitting on pie safe reading books 12-13-17
Hand broom & dustpan with the note "Santa likes a clean house" 12-14-17
Shoe train 12-15-17
Brought a Gingerbread house kit 12-16-17
Peeking through stocking holder 12-17-17
Sitting at nativity 12-18-17
Coloring 12-19-17
In the lantern by the fireplace 12-20-17
Bringing ornaments & paint 12-21-17
Hanging on battery lights @ advent calendar 12-22-17
Giving a book 12-23-17
Hanging from high window in living room 12-24-17


Here's our 2018 list so far:

12-01-18: welcome letter with funfetti cupcakes & frosting 
12-02-18: playing Switch on top of entertainment center 
12-03-18: in the fridge 
12-04-18: on top of fridge with hot cocoa
12-05-18: in the tree
12-06-18: sticking through the O in JOY
12-07-18: sitting on mantle 
12-08-18: inside of a Christmas jar
12-09-18: inside hall bath cabinet
12-10-18: drawing minions on bananas with Sharpie
12-11-18: bubble bath with cotton balls
12-12-18: sitting at nativity 
12-13-18: toilet papered the Christmas tree 
12-14-18: sticking out of Michael's stocking
12-15-18: sticking out of Noah's stocking 
12-16-18: sticking out of red bowl on top of fridge
12-17-18: sticking out of empty wipes box on top of entertainment center
12-18-18: wrapped in Christmas paper & a bow, sitting on the mantle 
12-19-18: taking a nap next to tissue box, with a tissue blanket & pillow 
12-20-18: underwear & diaper in stockings 
12-21-18: coloring, rhyming page with snow 
12-22-18: with toy nativity. Holding baby Jesus

I have an alarm set on my phone for 8:30 each night (when my kids are hopefully asleep!) simply labeled "Elf"-- just in case Michael ever read my phone alarms, etc.  At this time, I think about where the elf might appear next.  I have a lot of fun with this and don't think this is as much of a burden that other parents think it is.  My kids love it and that makes it so worth it for me. :)

Until Next Time, 

Much love, Reba

Fake it til you make it

This time of year requires extra smiles and cheerfulness.  Times ten if you're a parent. Even moreso if you're a shoestring budget parent like myself.

I've always loved Christmas.  Always.

Jessica Riggs had nothing on me.  Except for the whole find a reindeer thing while wandering around alone in the woods.

I could listen to Christmas music all year long.  I love the cheeriness that the winter weather brings, and by this I mean that the weather is cold and bitter enough that all I want to do is stay inside with my chickadees and watch Christmas movies. :)

This year puts us in a different place financially than we've been since we had kids.  We were financially stable and blessed enough for me to walk away from my highly stressful job at the VA this past May to focus on finishing my final requirements for grad school without the occupation burden hanging over my head.

However, I made a huge financial blunder by withdrawing my VA retirement.  I didn't consult family members because it just didn't cross my mind.  I was stressed, I was on a time crunch, and I just wanted out.  Twenty percent was withdrawn right away to cover the federal taxes, and I mistakenly thought that was it.  I found out the other day that state taxes were not withdrawn, and that I will be looking at another 5% withdrawn for that-- plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty.  So, I will owe 15% of the total amount-- not just what I received post 20% federal withholding.  Then I learned that the money I received will be counted as income and that'll shoot us into a higher tax bracket.  All of this makes sense to me now.  I wish I had slowed down and taken my time and chose a different withdrawal path.  But I can't change the past, and dwelling on this makes it harder-- so I needed to write it out and get it off my chest and hopefully off of my heart.  Needless to say, I am dreading the upcoming tax season.

In October when Michael became so sick so fast, I knew that all of his medical bills as far as prescriptions and hospital stays would be covered under our insurance.  I assumed his ambulance bill would also fall under this coverage.  I was partly correct.  Insurance covered about 60% of it, leaving me to pay the remaining 40%.  I lost my breath when that bill came in the mail.  I know that the ambulance ride was the right decision for us, but good gracious alive.  Did it seriously cost that much?!?!  The week prior, I bought an airplane ticket to go on a trip with my grandmother, and this ambulance bill just could not have come at a worse time financially.  I didn't know proper medical bill protocol and I have no consumer debt and intend to keep it that way, so I paid the whole bill at once.  I felt one inch tall.  I don't think I would feel any differently if I had paid $100 down and $100 a month for however many months.  I think I would feel like it was debt.  But I still feel pretty empty.

Then while I was in New York, Aaron's phone stopped receiving blood sugar alerts from the app we use to follow along with Michael's Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).  He called the company and they said that his version of the phone was dropped that week from their compatibility lists because that phone version was so old (Aaron's had that phone for about 5 years).  We knew that we would have to get him a new phone at some point since his was so old that the battery was barely lasting through the day, etc.  We just didn't expect for this to hit us all at once, especially now that it's rare for a phone company to let you buy a phone outright. Now it's the typical practice to roll the cost of the phone into the monthly bill.  To us, that signifies debt.

Then in January, Michael needs new transmitters for his CGM, and all of the diabetes supplies cost a bit more at the beginning of the year than they do as the year goes on.

It's all just piling on us at one time, and to a girl who was terrified of money issues while growing up, this is a nightmare to me.

So underneath our tree are about 4 gifts each for our boys, and Avery has a couple things but I'm really taking advantage of the fact that she won't care how much she gets for Christmas this year.  I see pictures of the Christmas trees of others and the presents are just spilling out from all sides of the tree.  I don't let myself fall into the consumerism mindset, but it's still hard to think that so many bills (or taxes) are coming due and I'm struggling.

I've heard that unpaid internships are no longer allowed, so maybe this means I'll get a little stipend to help lessen the blow of what's to come.  Aaron also received a promotion at work, but per a new corporate rule, no one gets a pay increase til March and we're not even sure what that increase will be.  Usually, I'm not a fan of wishing away time, but I wish it were April.  My taxes would be done and I'd at least be on a payment plan with the IRS.  My internship would be nearly over, and I'd know by that time if I was received any kind of payment.

I'm sorry that this is such a dismal post.  Sometimes I feel better if I write things out and get them off my chest and heart.  I didn't know what to write about today, so I was just going to turn off the computer and not write anything, but I knew that internally, these financial strains were bugging me and I needed to vent or exhale or something.

So in the midst of all of these adult strains on finances, I will still put on a happy face for my kids and look for the magic of Christmas in their eyes.  As long as I can, I will keep them from knowing that anything is different at all.

We're clinging to the real Reason for the Season and rejoicing that these earthly troubles don't follow us into Heaven!

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Too Fast!

This month is going by too fast!

I really really thought I had written at least one blog post so far this month and realized that, in fact, I had not!  Goodness gracious-- time is such a thief and moves at lightning speed.

I thought I'd share 3 things about each of my kiddos.

Michael-- 6 years old

• He loves to play video games.  And for any judgmental thoughts scrolling across anyone's mind-- these games do not seem to detract from his ability to exhibit literacy and mathematical skills.  He's one of the top students in his grade.  I think there are about seven first grade classes at his school and he still ranks in the top percentage as far as academic ability even after spending a week in the hospital and a week recovering at home during the month of October. 
• He's the ultimate home-body.  In this way, we are very much alike!  He would always prefer to stay at home than to go on errands or grocery shop!  He's most comfortable curled up on the couch with a game or a book. 
• He is very much into the magic of Christmas and it's so fun!  He understands that the true reason of the season is to celebrate Jesus' birth and he can relate the importance of the birth to Easter and the magnificence of Jesus defeating death.  In addition to the real meaning of the season, he is in awe of the other traditions of the season too.  We have an "Elf on the Shelf" and we say that Santa fills the stockings while presents under the tree are from Mom and Dad and family members.  Michael still believes in Santa and thinks the elf is real, etc.  While he believes, I will surely let him do so.  Once that magic is gone, it's hard to get it back until you're seeing the magic in the eyes of your own children. 

Noah-- 4 (almost 5) years old

• Noah is still obsessed with garbage trucks and loves to help us break down cardboard boxes that he then takes to the recycling center with Grandma Chips.  Mondays are garbage days around here, and if he doesn't see our trash can being picked up then he considers it his mission of the day to see a garbage truck in action somewhere around our town.  We have nearly a 100% success rate at finding a garbage truck on these days. :)
• Noah is also newly obsessed with police officers.  He wants us to stop whenever we see one parked in a parking lot of department stores, etc.  We try to tell him that it's not really appropriate to just walk up to a police car and bang on the window just to ask to see their hats or handcuffs, but he asks us each time we pass one just in case that's the one time we'd say yes. :) He has gone into the sheriff office and fire department in the downtown area of our city, and has spoken with police officers behind the police department of our city where they keep their mobile command units, motorcycles, Jeeps, etc.  I am going to bring him back a NYPD toy police car (and maybe fire truck too) on an upcoming trip of mine. 
• He is the best imaginative player I've ever seen!  This kid can self-entertain like no other! And he doesn't care who sees him do it.  At any time throughout the course of the day, he will be a garbage man using the couch as his truck, or he'll find a random toy or object that can serve as handcuffs and he'll be a police man arresting someone (the crime is always "you robbed money from the bank"), or he'll be a fireman with sirens blaring.  His imagination never ceases to amaze me. 

Avery-- 15 months old

• She is SO independent!  She's at the age of not wanting to/ not understanding the concept of holding hands, but also doesn't understand what gravity  is or what else can hurt her.  She loves to be on the couch and attempts to walk across the cushions, but we have to be right there beside her because she'll lose her balance and topple toward the edge and we have to scoot her back over in the right direction before she falls onto the floor.  She'd love to walk freely up and down the driveway while we wait for Michael to get home from school, but she obviously doesn't understand traffic or the dangers of the road.  It's a very busy time for us right now!
• She loves Christmas decorations.  We have had to move ornaments higher and higher on the tree as she discovers new ones and proceeds to dismantle them.  We thought we did pretty good just hanging non-breakable ones where she could reach, but we discovered that she can break apart ornaments and we also discovered that one we thought was shatter-proof actually was not.  :(  Her favorite ornament is a Dunkin Donuts coffee-cup.  This one is plastic so I'm okay with her taking it and pretending to drink from it.  I re-hang it on the tree each night and she finds it the next morning. 
• She LOVES baby dolls.  Her face will just burst into a huge grin when she sees her baby doll.  She sleeps with one baby doll and gives it a pretend bottle and pacifier and carries it around by its hair. She holds the baby and says "ohhhhh" and "pat-pat" as she pats its back, so we call this baby "Pat Pat Baby"and when we ask her to go get it, she'll instantly run to wherever she's left it and then pick it up and pat its back and bring it back to us.  It's just the sweetest thing.  She's such a good little pretend mommy. :)

These three absolutely keep me on my toes, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Until Next Time, 

Much love, Reba