Feeling the Christmas Rush

Okay- well I actually love giving gifts and we even have good ideas for everyone this year- but somehow I've had zero time to go out and purchase! Bummer! I've done a lot of shopping online- found good deals, but paid for shipping- just to save time!! Man- I've never felt this crazy! I guess it's been the training, visitors, basketball games, and school stuff- I dont' know.

Anyways- this morning we had ANOTHER ice morning- late start - 10 am- awesome! Thought I could sleep in 2 hours. But NOOOOO... I had to wake up at 6:45 am thinking about what to get for my secret pal at school because our final gift is tomorrow! Ugh.

and I found out that we sit in a circle and everyone watches us open our final gift- like at a shower - so the pressure is on for it to be a good gift. I dont' think I'm signing up for secret pal in the spring... too much money, too much time, and now too much pressure.

Oh well- it has been fun getting gifts randomly throughout the semester, but right now I can't think about that- I must. go. shop.

Why I Moved to the South...

Some may say I am lucky, I say I just go with my instinct... but the reason I moved South 10 years ago is simple...

WARM WEATHER!

Now, that may seem like a funny reason considering it 32 degrees outside while I'm writing this. But here's the thing, 32 degrees is so abnormal here, that just the "threat" or "prediction" of freezing rain, sleet, or snow gets school canceled or delayed.

Point in Fact: Today school started at 10 am (instead of 8 am) for most of the schools in Dallas.
Fact #2: Our Christmas program for the entire elementary and middle school was canceled tonight because LAST night's weather was bad, and tonight MIGHT be the same.
Fact #3: The decision has already been made, school will start at 10 am again tomorrow because it will be cold all night long.

Yes, you may think I'm lucky for moving South and getting all this extra free time, I just think I'm smrt.

So- come on down y'all, the weather's real nice!

(and yes I spelled smart wrong on purpose :)

Racing Forward

well... this morning I got up at 5:35 to eat. I needed to be done eating by 6 am. Normally- I don't have time I need to be done eating by- it's a little wierd to get up early just to eat. But today, I was running a half-marathon, 13.1 miles.

Sometimes I need to let that number sink in, 13.1 miles- up until last March, I had never run more than 3 miles at one time. And today, I just ran 13.1 for the 2nd time.

Not trying to brag- but I am proud of myself today. My body hurts, but I am proud.

The race started at 8 am... my dad and step-mom were here visiting which was super fun! Ty, his parents, dad and Cindy all piled into the car with me at 6:45 and off we went! I was one of 17,000 runners, we had to make sure we could get a parking space (and hit the restroom) before the race started.

One of my favorite things about today's race is that some soldiers in Mosul, Iraq decided to also run the White Rock Marathon- just in Iraq. So at the same time (which would be night over there- which makes the temperature cool and a marathon "doable") they ran too! I love that! I love our soldiers!!

In April I ran 2 hours, 1 min and 12 seconds-I had a goal of finishing- and I reached that goal.

Today's goal was to finish under 2 hours- dad said I was crazy- trying to bite off too much time at once. A newspaper article said the warm weather (50s and 60s) and high winds would make personal records tough to reach today.

I decided I didn't care what anybody said- I was running under 2 hours. I started running, it was windy, it was hot. There were a lot of people out there. At the 5 mile mark, I realized I was running too slow. I was running 9:15 miles, and needed to be running 9:08 miles from the beginning to hit the goal. So, I decided to pick up the pace.

My entourage drove EVERYWHERE! They saw me 5 times on the course! Constantly scanning the crowd looking for them was such a great thing! As I did that- I concentrated on finding them, and not on running, it was great! I told dad at one point that I was behind. So from then on, each time they saw me, he ran with me for about 100 yds, maybe more. It was fun. He told me how great I was doing, encouraged me, made some jokes, then hobbled back to the car (he has a bad knee- I think 6 operations on the same knee and one on the other, but I might be wrong on the specifics).

Everything they did and I did worked. I crossed the finish line at 1 hour, 57 minutes and 9 seconds! It was awesome! It felt great!

The second I crossed, the lady in front of me threw up= GROSS! And the first walking step I took- I realized my right knee was killing me!! But I did it. I don't care what hurts, I did it!!

The only thing is... I'm not sure that I'm ready to set another goal. Maybe after a couple of days and a massage, I'll consider it. But for today- I am sore and happy!!

I will have pictures later :)

Christmas in our Home

Christmas has entered our home! yay! I love Christmas!!

Here are a few of our decorations :)

The Mantle: love the red and silver and the beads are my favorite!!

Close ups of the mantle...

These candles are actually silver, but it's hard to tell with the flash.

same pic- no flash

The Dining Room- the newest addition this year... the ornaments hanging from the back of each chair :) Saw it in a magazine- had to do it.

This is the table by the front door. (I guess these pictures are a little bit out of order. This table is actually in the living room with the mantle.)
The poinsettia painting was done by Ty's grandma- I love having a painting just for Christmas time!!

Close up of the cute Nativity. Also- in the hurricane lamp, the candle is surrounded by mini ornaments and presents :)

As I unpacked the goodies, I figured out I have a bit of a Christmas tree collection. So I put them all up together on top of the bookcase in the living room.

Ok, back to the dining room. Leaving the dining room through the french doors takes us out to the sun room. But first, the decorations by the doors...

a mini tree (Mom- notice the "tree skirt"- it's the cute apron you got me :)

A small collection of santa and snowmen dolls. The snowman on the left was Ty's from growing up- His mom said it was his favorite decoration. It looks well loved :)

In the sun room, my nativity collection is displayed around the window ledge :)

Many of these small ones are from Ecuador and Guatemala.

My Nutcracker Nativity- I think it's my fav this year, even though it's old- just hit me as a fav this year.

This cute one looks like stones. And on each character there is a Bible verse quoting their part in the Christmas story.

On to the kitchen. Normally I put gift bags all around the kitchen above the cabinets. But I love my pitcher collection so much, I didn't want to take it down this year. So I added some sprigs of holly berries. Kinda hard to see in this picture- but they're there.

I did put some gift bags in the corner that does not have pitchers yet. So still cute, and I only put up my favorites. I just realized, I don't have a Christmas pitcher yet... I think I know what I'll be buying myself at the after-Christmas sales. Now I just need to find one.

Oh- first of all, my mom just got me this cute little table for the kitchen- I'll have to take a better picture so you can see the whole thing. But so far here's the Christmas basket of pinecones, bows and berries. I want to find a cute Christmas plate to put on a plate stand here, also an after Christmas sale purchase :)

What's missing??? The Tree!! We haven't gone to get one yet... but there will be pictures soon :)

The Italian Restaurant in Commerce, TX

Okay... so a few weekends ago some teacher friends and I took a road trip adventure. We went to Commerce TX for a fellow teacher's wedding. Let me just say- none of us had been to Commerce before. And it was quite the trip!



The wedding was sweet- and outside. There was cake and cheese cake for dessert at the reception. We ate, then headed out for dinner. Well Commerce is a good hour and a half from Dallas- so we decided to find somewhere in town to eat before heading back to Dallas.



We asked a friend at the wedding (who went to college in Commerce) where we should eat. She said "The Italian Restaurant across from the college." so we trusted that and went. pulling up, Julie immediately said "we should agree to be ready to leave if we need to." we all agreed.



We walked in and found ourselves coughing up smoke, the front door walks straight into a bar- the only place anyone was currently sitting. We asked for the non-smoking section. They sat us in the first booth next to the bar. We asked to move.



Here we are sitting down and excited to eat at "the Italian Restaurant" - did I mention that is all it actually said on the sign outside??



So- we get menus and order. They bring rolls.



No wait- they bring whole loaves of bread that they call rolls.







Julia ordered a salad and chicken piccatta- said it sounded safe.

Julie ordered the Italian Sampler.

I ordered a calzone- pizza dough stuffed with cheese, marinara sauce, onions, sausage, and pepperoni.



The food came out... Julie didn't know what was what in her Sampler due to the fact that it was a dish swimming in red sauce and grease, but if you dug around, you'd find the food down there somewhere. Although she never did find the lasagna.



As the waiter dropped off the food he said, " I'll be right back with your salad." Julia responded, "that's okay- I don't need it now that the food is here." He looked at her very confused and said "Oh- you wanted that first.?.?"



yes- it was quite the place. we survived- no one got sick.



But we did get stuck on the duct tape holding our bench seats together.

We checked- every booth was duct taped together.

Yes- that was the nicest restaurant in Commerce. we have experienced it. we are high-rollers. I don't suggest that you go.

2nd Annual Friends Thanksgiving

In college, we began this fun tradition of having a full blown Thanksgiving feast the Sunday before Thanksgiving, before everyone left town. It was a blast each year, and we learned early how to cook a turkey and other Thanksgiving items.



My husband was happy to continue the tradition with me- but we moved the annual feast to the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It is a standing party- so if you're in Dallas next year the Saturday before Thanksgiving, be prepared to come to our home for a yummy meal! Oh and bring a dish too- it's a potluck meal!



So, even though it's already the Christmas season, here are some pictures of our fall decorations and our Thanksgiving spread...



The Table... (with the beautiful new chandelier)



A few close ups of "the centerpiece." I put centerpiece in quotes, because it's not really elaborate or anything, but I like to keep it simple and low so that it compliments the meal, but does not take over the table.

I absolutely love this new mercury glass candle holder! (TJ Maxx!) Oh and we use our good china too- even though we have to hand wash it- it's totally worth it!

I went to Sam's that morning and bought $30 worth of flowers, here are some of the 7 arrangments I made from the flowers...

This one was my favorite- a small little one I put in the bathroom. I left it in there for almost 2 weeks- I felt like I was in a fancy hotel having fresh flowers in my bathroom- what a nice little treat! (and if you're noticing the ugly pink tile in the background - it's true, I have ugly pink tile on my bathroom walls- will take you on a house tour one day)

By the front door...

This one was in a small rectangle vase, and it keeps posting sideways- don't know why.
Okay- then I got crafty- pulled out my scrapbook things- since I can never get myself motivated to actually scrapbook, it was fun to make these little name cards for the different dishes. You never know just from looking exactly what type of casserole you're eating :)

Close up

This was my list of things to do that day- yes I had it mapped out down to the minute- trying to get all the food ready by 5:00 so that the oven would be free when the guests arrived in case they needed a last minute re-heating.

Look at the cute turkey pillow my mom gave me! I want a Christmas pillow now too!! maybe a Santa Claus?? Actually- Crate and Barrel has adorable Christmas pillows right now... maybe :)

Appetizers!! This is a delious corn and black bean salsa- not very thanskgiving-y, but the one thing my husband requested. It is sooo yummy!! You simpley toast some corn, add a can of black beans, sliced cherry tomatoes, avocado, and green onions. The trick is the Williams-Sonoma sauce that flavors it- incredible!! I've used the whole bottle!! and I think it's a seasonal item that we bought in the summer and will now have to wait until next summer to reload- next year I'm buying 2-3 bottles!!

I know- I'm boring and cheesy- but I really liked my little display of lemons and limes for the drinks :) What can I say- I'm a nerd who tries hard :)

The sweet tea- as you can tell from the sign. (yes the boys made fun of my signs, but I think down deep they actually really appreciated them!)

The whole spread laid out! Yumminess!

Some close ups...

Andrew and Susan made the best green bean casserole.
Parris made my favorite corn casserole!

Then there was broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, rolls, cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing and gravy!! Oh and desserts!! Well- I forgot to take a picture- but Rebecca made the most delicious chocolate pie!! Hubby's absolute favorite dessert!

Oh- here's the stuffing, gravy, and turkey. By the way- I don't remember who carved the turkey all those years during our college Thanksgivings - but it wasn't me. I'm guessing Theresa- was it you?? because I definitely do not really know how to do it. I've read about it. I've watched videos on it- but I am not good at it. As you can tell by the annihilated turkey pieces. oh well. at least my lemons and limes looked good.

And somehow I didn't get any pictures with people in them- I'm an idiot. Food is more important than people?? never!!

for next year... my goal is to learn to make Ty's Grandma's Chicken and Dressing. I'll let you know how it goes :)

Chicken Pockets... Finally

Finally- the long promised chicken pocket recipe.

The ingredients...
cream cheese (I use fat free regular- could use flavored, chive would be good:)
milk
margarine
sesame seeds
crescent rolls (reduced fat for me)
onion (or celery)
and chicken!

Here's the recipe handwritten by my sweet friend Katie. She says it's only 4 servings and 1 can of crescent rolls- I must make mine wrong- I always use 2 cans and get 6-8 pockets- oh well.

First- boil the chicken. Much yummier if you cook it with chicken broth instead of plain water- always salt and pepper too! Since you will be cutting the chicken into small pieces, I always cut it some before cooking it to make it go faster. Bring it up to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer until the juices run clear, or the middle is not pink. :)

Drain the chicken. Here's a favorite new pampered chef tool!! It fits on any hot pan- and you can drain off liquids or fat! It is wonderful! and of course it is dishwasher safe - love it!!

Chop the chicken- should be 2 cups. I guess I usually use more. I always mix it in my very favorite pampered chef product- my batter bowl!! You can measure the chicken amount right on the side of the bowl, then use the handle as you stir. lovely!! also dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and oven safe- perfect!

In a separate bowl, blend the cream cheese and margarine. I cheat and just use a spoon- but I moosh it very well :) (is moosh a word?)

Add the milk, pepper, salt, onion and chicken- stir well.

On an ungreased baking sheet, lay out your crescent rolls. You must flatten it or spread it out. The top one in this picture is normal, the bottom one flattened, see the difference??

Place some chicken mixture on top.

Flatten the other crescent roll and place on top. Then smoosh the sides together to seal them.

I always kinda roll up the sides to keep the milky stuff from leaking out when baking.

Your hands will get messy as you touch the chicken stuff- YOU MUST WIPE THEM OFF!! before trying to seal the edges- or else the edges will never fully seal. I learned this the hard way. Just keep a paper towel next to you and wipe them in between each one.

Next, I spray on some olive oil and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds.

20-25 minutes later, you have a lovely crispy delicious chicken pocket.

Here's the delicious inside :) Enjoy!

Chicken Pockets

3 oz cream cheese (6 tablesppons)

2 Tbl. margarine

2 cups cooked and chopped chicken

1/3 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 Tbl. milk

1/4 cup onion or celery - chopped or grated

1 can crescent rolls (I use two cans)

Preheat oven to 350.

Blend the cream cheese and margarine.
Add the milk, blend well.

Add the chicken, salt, pepper, and onion/celery.

Lay out the crescent rolls, flatten them. Add some of the chicken mixture. Place another crescent roll on top. Seal edges.

Brush melted butter over the top (or spray with olive oil), sprinkle on sesame seeds.

Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!