The Elf on the Shelf gets canned, PCP and other things

Baby girl slept in a whole half hour this morning! It seems a little sad that 5:30am would look so good. So now, while she is working on an early morning nap, I thought I'd post an update (since yesterday).

Yesterday was a busy day. As Christmas Break gets closer, the kids get crazier, schedules are out of sorts with benchmark testing and excitement is everywhere (even for the teachers). Friday was no exception. Not only was it Friday, but we had a big event at our school. Every year the SCA does a canned goods collection contest among the classes. Normally the winner is the class with the most cans. This year however, they decided to have two contests. The first would remain as "The Class with the Most Cans". The second contest, which turned out to be ridiculous fun, was to use the cans you have to build some type of sculpture or artistic display.

We talked about what we could do with our limited amount of cans and a few ideas were thrown out. I got to thinking. All week long my students have been sharing their adventures of his/her Elf on the Shelf. Bingo! We decided to build our own Elf on a Shelf out of cans! It took some problem solving, ingenuity and some arts and crafts know-how, but we did it! And might I add, we took 1st Place in the K-2 division! I could not be prouder!

 As many of you know, I'm all about coming up with new recipes or trying out tasty finds from various cookbooks, blogs and Pinterest. Last night I made a recipe that was not only delicious, but was seriously one of the easiest meals I've ever made. I'd like to introduce to you PCP (Parmesan Chicken Pizza). Now, I know you could made this meal a lot more gourmet than what it was, but I must say, after a long day, it could not have been more perfect. You need 4 ingredients: garlic bread, chicken, pizza sauce and shredded parmesan cheese. Tada!

*I did not use the breaded chicken fingers called for in the original recipe. I used some precooked rotisserie chicken pieces instead. I also used left over spaghetti sauce as opposed to pizza sauce...but you get the point.

I had to throw this picture in simply because I love her adorable little face. She is really doing well with her pincer grasp and was enjoying her ability to feed herself bananas.



 

Seeing as the weather is a cold wintry mix today, I'm not sure what we'll end up doing. There are a few things going on in the city...maybe we'll head to town and add to our list of Christmas activities.



Five on Friday: A Chill in the Air

Another week has come to a close and with it comes Five on Friday. I'm linking up with several ladies to share this weeks five.

 

 

 

[one]

On Saturday, we took advantage of G's early rising and dolled her up for Breakfast with Santa at my hubby's elementary school alma mater. She was not sure what to think of Santa but quickly warmed up to his wispy white beard. I must say, he was he thinnest Santa I've ever seen (are kids getting stingy with their Christmas cookies?) and the fact that he kept his hair of white all in his face made it difficult to see his rosy red cheese and cherry nose. At least the elf was super sweet.

 

 [two]

The weather stations were calling for some ugly winter weather beginning Sunday, on into Monday. We had our share of ice. All of the glistening led to slick roads which kept us home from school on Monday and then resulted in a 2 hour delay on Tuesday.

 

 

[three]

We put G in her Christmas pajamas a little early in order to join in with The Good Life for the Christmas Pajama Party!

 

 

Adorable!!!

 
 

 

 

 

[four]

One of my latest finds and savings go-to websites is www.forthemommas.com I've found several awesome deals and because I am on their mailing list now, I get emails with the latest freebies and discounts for tons of practical items and retail stores that I'd visit anyway. I have also started using www.ebates.com but find that the "big fat checks" they talk about require you to spend a ton...at least that's how it seems. I've been told it's a lot more profitable when booking hotels and making other large purchases. We'll see. Regardless, the money that I've been able to save with FTM is well worth visiting the website and joining their mailing list.

 

 

 

[five]

I took advantage of our Snow Day on Monday to complete a couple crafts with G. I just adore how the "Mistle Toes" turned out. We also made clay ornaments for the grandparents. I was going to make the salt dough to make these, but when I found a couple of kits for next to nothing, I just could not pass it up.




 

Drunken Monkey Bread

I was really excited to get home tonight and get dinner going. I made homemade Sloppy Joes. I've been using this recipe for quite some time now and it always proves to be delicious!

Super Sloppy Joes

Afterwards, I got G fed and put to bed. I managed to get one more skirt made, dishes done and my walk on the treadmill accomplished. I'm determined to get back in the saddle and get some exercise in the evenings after G is asleep. Regardless if  I'm exhausted, I know I have to do this. While I was walking on the treadmill, watching Haunted Highway, it dawned on me that we are having a Birthday Breakfast for one of my co-workers in the morning...and I had not made anything! Now, at 8:45pm I could flip out, cry, sigh...whatever. But never fear...I've always got something I can whip up.

Tonight I went to a tried and true recipe that I've loved since my transplant in the South. I decided to branch out and add a little this and that with the end result being...Drunken Monkey Bread. Tada!

After preheating your oven to 350, bust out 3 cans of buttermilk biscuits. Do not use the flaky ones...you'll be sorry! Cut them into quarters. In a gallon bag, mix 1c sugar and 2 tbsp. of cinnamon. Toss the biscuits into the bag, zip and shake what your momma gave you! This should coat them nicely and they won't stick together.

Evenly spread these gems into a bunt pan. In a microwave safe bowl toss in two sticks of butter and a 1/2c brown sugar. Heat for 1 minute and stir. Heat for another 30-60 seconds until it is melted yummy goodness. Stir well. Now...are you ready for it?! Break out the bourbon! Add 1-2 tbsps. to the melted butter mixture. Also add 1 tbsp. of maple flavoring. Mix well and pour the golden mixture over your sugary nuggets of love. Pat down with a spoon so that every piece has been kissed by the butter mixture.

Bake approximately 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it set for about 15 minutes. Place your serving platter over the bottom of the bunt pan. Gently turn both over. The bread should slide easily onto the platter. Let it set for a few more minutes (if you can stand it) and then serve. Enjoy!

Christmas Pajama Party!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...so we have started out the work day with a two hour delay...just what I needed so I could link up with Darci, Ashley and others for a Christmas Pajama Party!

 

(Something is wrong with my camera...the flash is not working like it should...hmmm...troubleshooting is on my list of things to do...)

 

 

We broke out the Christmas Pajamas! It's hard to believe that in just a couple weeks G will be celebrating her first official Christmas! We celebrated her first "unofficial" Christmas last year.

 

She was our Jellybean last Christmas...

 

These pajamas were a gift from a dear friend of mine for one of G's baby showers. I'm so glad they fit!

 



Snow Day #1

Thanks to the dangerous, iced covered roads, schools across Central Virginia were closed today. While I hate losing the Teacher Work Days that are used to make up for the snow days, I love to have an extra day home with my family. Depending on which station/website you look at and choose to believe, it's possible we may get more of a wintry mix/snow this evening...looking out our front windows you can see the snow just pouring over the mountains. I don't know if it will make its way across or not, but either way, it's a beautiful sight.

That vast gray sky is a huge cloud of wintry precipitation so thick that we can no longer see the mountains.

Today was particularly nice because my husband was also off. We both got to spend some time together and with G, which, due to work schedules, is not as often as we'd like.



Sporting her "Snow Day" attire

He has had to miss out on so much lately with the long hours at the fire department. I just adore seeing him catch up on daddy-daughter time.

An afternoon cat nap

We also spent today doing a little house work and catching up on some Christmas crafts that will be featured in this week's Five on Friday post. I was able to make a few ornaments, get in some "art work" and make a couple of skirts (that I hope will fit the little ones I've made them for).

 I was also able to begin some major work on our Budget Binder that will serve as a tool for our financial over haul in 2014. We've done really well thus far in our marriage, but we know we could be doing better. I'm excited and anxious at the same time. We'll have to really discipline ourselves and remain sources of encouragement and accountability for one another as we begin this journey. We did get excited as we started looking at what we could accomplish in just one year if we work our plan. One of our biggest hindrances is my student loans. Between my undergrad and Master's degrees, I have accumulated a good bit of debt. I can't wait to really begin putting a dent in it. God continues to provide and only through His provision have we been able to do the things we've done. He also expects us to handle His provisions with care and sensibility. I know without a doubt we'll be blessed through this. I hope to post more on it later.

While reviewing what I would need for our binder, I ran across Living Well Spending Less. I've read a few of her blogs in the past but this time on her site I discovered that she has a wonderful list of free printables for tons of DIY home projects (i.e. budgets, cleaning, etc.). The type A in me quickly fell in love.

Feeling rather rested and inspired, I'm looking forward to this evening's dinner. I'm trying a new recipe...Lemon Parmesan Pasta. I'll have to let you know how it goes...

I just love unexpected days off. How do/would you spend yours?

Fire and Ice

While the end of this week has been much warmer than normal, rumor had it that we would encounter some nasty winter weather this weekend. Yesterday was filled with multiple odds and ends. The hubby, G and I began the day with Breakfast with Santa (pic coming soon) and then we headed to town. I mailed off Christmas gifts and then we visited several stores to complete our Christmas shopping. I did do a lot of shopping online this year...which was nice, but some deals you just have to show up for.

We know that G doesn't really NEED anything an she's too young to indicate what she would want, so we picked up some clothes and a couple small items. However, my husband, being a true kid at heart, insisted she have at least one big something...so, he is now on the hunt for the best deal on the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Crawl Around Car.

Has anyone seen them used or better yet, own one? It has received many great reviews. I'm sure she'll love playing with it at some point...and if nothing else, she'll have a big cardboard box to roll around in.

After Christmas shopping, we grabbed lunch and then went grocery shopping. We had this trip planned since last week and normally Saturday afternoons are pretty chill at our local shopping center. However, with the impending winter weather, both the gas stations and stores were over run. We decided to get our shopping done anyway (all the while praying our power would not go out after making our purchases). With our monthly shopping trip completed, we came home to unload groceries.

Afterwards, we stacked the remainder of the wood that C had split the other day. With the weather man predicting between 1/2 inch and 1 inch of ice, we wanted to ensure the house would stay warm no matter what the storm would bring. We've had a strong, warm fire going since and true to the meteorologist's word, we had a slight dusting of snow and it has been sleet and ice since. The road looks awful and our porches are super slick. C just left a little bit ago to respond to a pretty bad accident.

Since we have no place to go...I'll be working on trying to get the house put together for our upcoming Christmas festivities. Enjoy what is left of the weekend!

Five on Friday: A Little Christmas Flair

Hooray for Friday! I'm linking up with my friend Ashley and others to bring you this week's Five on Friday. Christmas festivities are in full swing...with many more to come. This is one of my favorite times of the year so I thought I'd share a few things from the homestead.

 

 

[one]

My husband and I had a hard time making up Christmas lists this year. We have all that we need and we have been blessed with so many things in 2013 that our wants were very few. We have also been trying to prep ourselves for our upcoming financial makeover in 2014. We looked around the house and decided to go in together and make one large purchase for the home. We were graciously given some used furniture when we got married. We decided it was time to retire the hand-me-downs and invest in furniture that was more our style.

 

On our way to the store, G, who has been sick on and off the last two weeks, got super sick in the back of the truck. My hubby drove us quickly home. G and I remained at home while he went to purchase the furniture. This was a big step for my Type A personality (a.k.a. control freak). He picked out the furniture based on some things we had discussed and...I think he did a wonderful job! Comfortable, functional and an appropriate color. Kudos to my hubby!

 

[two]

This past weekend G was in her first parade. It was so much fun! She loved looking out the window at everyone from the height of the fire truck. I loved to hear the sweet comments as we drove by. Not only did she get to have her first ride in a fire truck, but she got to pet a goat! She was not sure at first, but then quickly warmed up to him.

 

 

[three]

I have begun slowly putting up the Christmas decorations. Normally EVERYTHING is put up the weekend after Thanksgiving. Between a sick baby and other events, I just didn't have time. So...I've been pulling out a few things each night after G has gone to bed. Some decorations will probably not make it up this year...which is okay. Less to take down later.

I did manage to make our "goody bags". I was going to make our own stockings but the pattern did not produce what I had hoped...so, in an effort to improvise, I sewed a "goody bag" for each of us. This will become a new tradition for our family. We've always done stockings, these bags will just replace them. Another thing I love about them is that as we (hopefully) have more kids, I can purchase fabric that represents things they love or their personalities.

 

[four]

Another tradition we've decided to begin this year is the "12 Books of Christmas". Beginning on the 12th, we'll read one Christmas themed book a night to G. She'll get to unwrap it and we'll add it to her collection. I know, if you are doing the math in your head, this the number of books will run out before Christmas...have no fear! We have a standing tradition that on Christmas Eve we begin reading the account of Christ's birth and finish it on Christmas morning. We do have this in a child-friendly version this year. I'm so excited!!!! As we witnessed at Papa's birthday party, G is all about ripping off some wrapping paper.

 

[five]

Our beautiful little girl is 33 weeks today! We still can't get over how quickly time is passing. In just a few weeks she will have been on this earth for just as long as I carried her in my womb. I am still wonderstruck daily by her and the miracle that she is for us.

 

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Ours will be filled with Breakfast with Santa, errands, Christmas dinner at church and other things that make this time of year special.