Recipe of the Week: Egg Nog -Low Carb

I just made my life a bit better and because I'm just such a nice person, I wanted to share with all of you!

Holidays are about family and love but there is no doubt that food is big part of it. For me that included egg nog but have you looked at the side of the container of Egg Nog! 4 oz has 22 carbs! OH MY! 22 carbs for 4 oz was just not acceptable! Can't have that but I really love egg nog so I "Googled" the web for a recipe. I love all the information that is out there on the web now these days. Well, I found several recipes, but a lot of them involved cooking the eggs into a type of custard then cooling it all off before drinking. That was a lot of work to me so I decided to try my own. Here is what I came up with.

Low Carb Egg Nog

1/4 cup egg substitute (since it's pasteurized you can drink it without the worry associated with consuming raw eggs.)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup Vanilla Almond Milk (un-sweetened)

Nutmeg to taste and Vanilla sugar free syrup to taste

Mix all in a blender and watch it because the heavy cream will become whipped cream fast. See how the straw stands up on it's own? If you have egg nog seasoning - use that too. Yum!

Oh - and I can have 8 oz of this for 2 carbs total

Sure is better than that 44 carbs for the same 8 oz of the "other stuff" don't you think? Try it and let me know what you think.

Life is better everyday! Enjoy Life!

Oh I almost forgot! Here is the Christmas shirt for today.

Weekend Review: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas Music Playing and all those Christmas Movies on Lifetime & Hallmark make me so very happy. Plus there are all my Christmas Outfits!!

Saturday's Outfit Sunday's Outfit

Monday's Photo - Today's Christmas outfit and I'm so in the spirit!

We spent Friday and Saturday decorating. When you have a little one you have to figure out how to display your loved treasures out of the reach of a 20 month old. How do I figure out where to put things or how to group things? For me it's all about how certain objects make me feel. Do I smile when I put this snowman here? No! Then it will be moved around till I "feel it".

The top of the microwave and the center of it both got some decorations.

The table was covered in place mats made by SIL (Sister-in-Law) many years ago, the counter got it's own tree.

The Ice box got some snowmen on top of it, still out of little one's reach.

And Hubby's cousin made this snowman that lights up at night. Sure is cute and I think of her every time I see it.

We bought some of these decorations ourselves and some were given to us as gifts but each has a story and when I see them, when I unwrap them, I remember the story and remember the feeling associated with that Christmas...and my heart is full! How was your weekend? Decorations up yet?

The Start of the Holiday Season: Or is it?

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you watch the parade? Did you eat your fill and walk away or did you eat until you busted and had to be rolled away from the table? Was that after turkey nap as good as you had last year? Were you up all night standing in line to go shopping? I would love to hear your story. With so many stores open yesterday and again today, I wonder if there is a real "Start to the Holiday Season". Some how it all gets burled together, doesn't it. So it's nice to take a break, stop what you are dong, think, pray about it and then get going. With a clear head, a prayerful attitude and a clear picture of your budget the holiday season will be a lot less stressful. I do shopping all year and so I am ahead of the curve. I shop in small batches and then our budget doesn't take a hit. So today, I'm staying home and starting the Christmas decorating around here.

I decorate every room except hubbies office. He takes longer to get into the spirit of things. We don't do much outside - mainly because it's just too cold to be out there taking it all down after the season is over, but we do put up a few things,---- close to the house,--- so I can run in after each item is retrieved,--- and warm up by the fire, ---with hot tea in my hands. Yup, I can do that! So here is what is outside this year.

I pulled out Christmas shirts to wash and was very surprised at how big some of them were. Was I ever really that big! Oh My! There are a few that now come down almost to my knees! Do I want to wear them with a belt and leggings? Not sure about that yet. I need new Christmas shirts. OK family who reads this and looking to figure out what I would like, if you want to, I am now a size Small and would enjoy some new sweat shirts, long sleeve tees, and sweaters in Christmas themes. Oh, but since I wear it once a year, hit a thrift store please. I still have enough to go from today all the way to Christmas morning wearing just one a day, but some are really huge! That feels good I must say. Well back to the Christmas clothes. I had been asked to showcase each shirt for the holiday season so here is what I wore today.

Monday I'll show you what I wore over the weekend and some of the house decorations.

Enjoy your weekend and Lord willing, I'll see you Monday. In the mean time, here is one of my favorite songs and no one does it better than Burl Ives.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL

On this special day when we gather around with family, friends and loved ones, please pause and tell everyone you love that you love them. Make sure they know that!

My wish is that we are thankful for all the people in the military who are protecting our rights as Americans and for all the first responders (police,fire,medical) who are working today instead of being home with there families. They, and there families sacrifice a lot. I thank them all and pray for them often.

And I am thankful for all my readers, have a great day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL ---ENJOY YOUR DAY

Becke resting up for her full day.

Hodgepodge Wednesday: Thanksgiving Theme

Joyce, From This Side of The Pond has once again come up with some really good thought provoking questions. She is doing such a good job with this. I love visiting others blog to see there answers. I find that I have a lot in common with so many people and so the blog world feels smaller and friendlier. So without further adieu here are this weeks questions and my answers:

1. If you had known what they knew then, would you have boarded the Mayflower?

I do believe I would have because they were looking for a new freedom, a new and better life and were fleeing from a live they could no longer tolerate so yes.

2. How far have you traveled on a boat and how do you feel about boats in general?

I think I have been on 2 boats in my life. In San Diego Harbor we took a tour for about 1 1/2 hours. No idea how far we went. The second time we spent 12 minutes on a Ferry crossing Lake Champlain. Both were fun. In general, boats are fine but I don't think I would want to be on one for an extended time. I like land.

3. What traditions have you kept, acquired thru marriage, and/or tossed? If you're single what are some of your family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

We still wait 2 weeks before the Christmas tree goes up but the rest of the house gets decorated shortly after Thanksgiving. That tradition we have been doing since we were married. We also open 1 gift Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Day. Some of the food/ cookies have been with us for a long time. My husband is a police officer so most years he worked Thanksgiving. As a result, we had Thanksgiving Brunch instead of Dinner since he was leaving to go to work. We still do that.

4. What time is dinner and how many will be round your table? And what is the one side dish you cannot do without on Thanksgiving day?

We will be having Brunch again this year but at our daughters house. It will be 9:30ish and one dish we MUST have is Memere's Meat Stuffing. It's a combination of hamburger, pork, potatoes, seasonings, and onions and my hubby cooks it. Every year, I ask him to make lots of it so it will last a few days. Every year, he doesn't make enough... :-(

Yes, I know it goes against all I believe in to ask for 'just one', but I made up for it by asking three questions here.

5. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher? Do tell....

I do believe that I have never used one, that goodness.

6. Tell about a situation that caused you dreadful trepidation and feet dragging, only to realize later it was a true blessing.

When we first got married hubby was in the Air Force and we were getting shipped to New Mexico. I had never been out of the state. I was young, married, and moving very far away from the only home I had know. God was taking care of us and we had to make it or break it as a couple. Because of this distance, we learned to communicate, learned to live together and learned to compromise. All blessings!

7. Baked, sweet, mashed, hash browned or french fried...which one's your favorite?

Wow! I like them all but I guess Baked Sweet Potatoes Fries is my favorite and since I live low carb, I do not get them much....but when I do.......

8. Do you watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade?

We have the parade on the TV and will sometimes sit and watch it but mostly it is back ground noise for us as we are busy talking, laughing, visiting and eating. So much more fun.

OK Your turn, you can answer the questions here, go visit Joyce's blog and like to her with answers or just leave a comment. I love comments.

Recipe of the week: Spinach & Hamburger Casserole

Looking for a fast dinner seems to be the norm around here lately and so either the crock pot or the casserole dish comes out early in the morning. I like having dinner ready when I get home from work, one thing I don't have to think about. This week it was the casserole dish. I wanted something extra healthy and knew we needed to have some extra veggies and this casserole is perfect for just that. In no time the prep work is done and it's in the oven, making time for getting a hold on the laundry. Question - how can 2 people create so much laundry? I'm thankful to have the clothes so I'm not complaining but it seems like the hamper gets full mighty fast some days. Anyhow I digress - make this sometime, it's spicy so adjust the spices to your liking and serve with a nice crusty bread (for those not living low carb)

Spinach & Hamburger Casserole

1 pound hamburger

1 Onion

1/2 Red Pepper chopped

1 can tomatoes w/green chili

12 oz spinach (If frozen allow it to thaw first)

8 oz cheddar cheese (cubed)

2 Teaspoons Chili seasoning

Crushed red peppers to taste

Cook hamburger with seasonings then drain off the fat.

In a large greased casserole dish combine the seasoned hamburger, 1/2 of the cheese, the tomatoes with chili, and spinach top with remaining cheese and bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Makes about 6 servings with net carb count of only 4 per servings. If you don't like spinach, then any vegetable will do so add your favorite and enjoy.

Since it's been so cold (in the 30's only) having the oven on is a bonus as well. I sit with a cup of vanilla/caramel chi and relax while dinner cooks in the oven. What a way to end the day.

How do you like to end your day? What warm dinners is your family enjoying tonight?

Weekend Review: Holidays are Coming Fast.

So how was your weekend?Do any Shopping, Wrapping or Packing? We did all those things, but first we started by going to see the new Harry Potter movie! I am a big fan of the books and movies so I was a tad excited to see the movie, in fact I hardly slept Thursday night at all. I am a member of the Ravensclaw House and so I wore my blue and gray colors all day, what fun we had! I will not spoil the movie for any of my readers by telling you about the movie, but I will say it was very well done.

Saturday the Christmas cards got mailed - yes I am that early! Gifts were wrapped and the box for the west coast is about ready to send out. I plan to get it done by/before Thanksgiving. It also contains birthdays gifts for our son and daughter-in-law who both have birthdays in December.

Sunday, after a great church service we got the joy of watching our grand daughter and we played and played and worked on a craft for her to take home. The craft was stolen with permission from Wendi, thank you Wendi. I forgot to take a picture before it went home but it was fun and cute. It's a picture of a turkey colored in with colored rice.

So how was your weekend?

I'm Thrilled Happy and Humbled all at the Same Time

Is my face blushing? I do believe it is. I started blogging only 3 months ago and I have been given this award! I received it from both Mary @ Life In A Small Town and Kathy at Reflection...By Kathy, thank you so much ladies, you have no idea what it means it me. They were so nice, they even explained to me how to transfer the award to this blog (because I couldn't figure it out). Both of them helped me! Right away! Because they are that sweet! One more reason why I'm really enjoying blogging - the great people you find out there. So if you haven't been over to visit there blogs, Go - you will not be sorry.

Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass this on to 15 other great bloggers you recently discovered.

4. Contact the selected bloggers and tell them about their awards.

So here are the 7 things about me.

1. I am a morning person. I mean a REAL RISE-AND-SHINE-AND-MEET-THE-BRIGHT-NEW-DAY morning person! I wake up usually by 4 am but force myself to stay in bed until 5. I say "force" because I want to jump up and get going but I find that I "Hit a Wall" about 3pm so instead I stay in bed and spend most of that hour in prayer for others. It's a better way to start my day.

2. I am head over heels in love with the man who asked me to marry 3 times before I said yes. I had lots of fears and knew I had lots of baggage that I wasn't sure he wanted to be saddled with. We have been married for over 38 years and I still smile when I see his face. So glad he kept asking me and that I finally said Yes.

3. I have Dyslexia. I see letters in reverse order and sometimes write numbers in reverse order as well so when writing phone numbers I will have the rights numbers in the wrong order, same with some words but they are still words (two become tow) so Spell Check doesn't catch them. Thank God for Spell Check and proof readers. Still God Loves me!

4. I live in a small town and love it out here. We use to live near an airport and they wanted to expand so they took our house which was hard but we found this perfect house out in the country. It was so quiet that we couldn't sleep for the longest time. Now, we sleep just fine. And it's easier to keep clean!

5. I love to move furniture around every few months much to hubby's dismay. I can clean under and behind those pieces better and a new placement makes the room look fresh and different. And the price is perfect for the new look - FREE.

6. Hubby taught me to shoot a gun many, many years ago and I am a really good shot! He works in Law Enforcement so we were going to have guns around the house, might as well get comfortable with them, Right? Just letting you know..... Don't surprise me! EVER!

7. I love Christmas not because of the presents but because of the spirit. I love the songs of love, peace, family and even the funny ones about grandma with the mishap with the reindeer.... I have a different shirt for every day between Black Friday and Christmas morning. Some are long sleeve Tee-Shirts and others are Sweatshirts or sweaters so starting on Black Friday I will show you each one. I just love the season and decorate the whole house.

Now to pass it on to some of the bloggers that I have found here is my list.

That Corgi

Life SPW

Diamonds in the Rough

My Heart is Always Home

The Homespun Heart

Empty Nest but Full Heart

MiMi's Mini

There is no place like home

2nd Cup of Coffee

2 Thinks to Share

Country Girl @ Home

Blessed Femininity

with all that I've been given

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Country Blossom

Some of these have been blogging for a while, but they were new to me and fun to visit so maybe they will be new to you too. Now Go - Visit - Enjoy.

Thankful Thursday: Found Treasure

The office project has been good for the soul! By that I mean that there is something cleansing about cleaning out closets, tossing papers away, re-organizing everything. Funny the things that I found while cleaning, papers and used envelopes that for some reasons I felt were important to keep. Since I haven't used them in a few years, they are now tossed out. Old magazines that I haven't looked at in over a year so they too went to the trash. I also found some treasures that I had forgotten I had. The Cabbage Patch Kids above belonged to me and our daughter a long time ago. Now they wait for our granddaughter who visits and runs to the office to grab them. Another one of the treasures I found was these two little books, buried in the bookcase.

The author Devotions for Quiet Time is Tommy Chupp and Meredith Publication put the other together. They were used a lot a few years back and then I "lost" them. :-) I can't wait to get back into them and I promise I will share with you all what I find. Have a great day and look in your bookcase for a lost treasure - you may find a gem or two. If you do, share with me what you found...OK?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge is ready

Once again, Joyce From This Side of The Pond has created a wonder Hodgepodge of questions to help us bloggers know each other better. Thank you Joyce.

To play, you copy the questions and post them on your blog with answers, then visit other blogs to see their answers and leave a comment. No blog, no problem, put your answers here! Joyce gives 7 questions and each blogger who plays comes up with question #8. This weeks questions:

1. What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?

Hubby was in the Air Force and we did some traveling so I've seen the sand storms in NM which were petty awesome! But living through an Ice Storm a few back that left us without power for better part of a week and freezing cold - that would have to be at the top of the list.

2. What is a sound or noise you love?

This one sounds odd but I love the sound of hubby breathing! I feel so safe when I hear it and I can easily fall asleep in no time. Told you it was odd.

3. Do you like seafood? What's your favorite seafood dish?

I like cod or salmon, baked. I don't get it often but when I do, I can do a happy dance.

4. What part of your day requires the most patience?

Lines, I really hate to be standing in lines. I never know where to look and end up playing a game on either the phone or iPod Touch.

5. What's your favorite shade of blue?

OK what if I don't like blue? Sorry, I may have blue eyes but I don't like the color at all. My favorite color is Purple. Sorry.

6. Do people underestimate you?

I think they do. I feel that I give off an attitude of a snob but I'm really painfully shy and would love to blend into the wall. Public speaking makes my legs shake and so my talents don't shine like so many others that I know.

7. When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?

A few months ago, Becke the wonder dog and I did a Freestyle Demo (dog dancing) in front a lot of people and that made me not only have butterflies but sick too. Did you read #6?

8. So here is my question: Have you started your Christmas Shopping yet or are you going to end up doing it closer to the day?

I'm almost done! I shop a lot on line- I hate standing in line remember, and I really don't want to shop once the snow gets here. So, I start early and finish by Thanksgiving. Then it's time to wrap and mail. My cards are all ready to mail - how about you.

OK so here are the questions and my answers, now it's your turn.

Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Turkey Soup

Man Oh Man it's been odd weather up here, some days we see temps in the 60's and then it turns really cold ! On these days when it's gray, windy, only in the low 40's and busy the meal that works for is soup. Not just any soup mind you, a hearty stick-to-your-ribs soup and this one fits the bill wonderfully if I do say so myself. Besides tasting wonderful, it makes the kitchen smell wonderful as well and I love that.

Pumpkin Turkey Soup

1 pound turkey (I used ground this time but leftover cubed turkey would work as well)

1/2 cup summer squash diced

1/2 cup zucchini diced

1/2 cup onion diced

Garlic powder

Crushed red peppers

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 - 15 oz can pumpkin

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot cook the turkey, onion,zucchini and summer squash. Drain fat and return to pot. Add the pumpkin, garlic, red peppers. In a separate bowl dissolve the 3 cubes into 3 cups of boiling water then add to soup pot. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add cream and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes longer.

You can also make this in the crock pot and walk away!

Makes 6-1 cup servings at 2.6 carbs per serving

So head out side and finish clearing the leaves, or bundle up and go hiking. Play outside with the kids in the snow or work on the Christmas shopping list and come home to the wonderful smell of this soup. You will not taste a strong pumpkin taste but the pumpkin will help to thicken it up nicely and add a needed nutritional boost to the soup. Enjoy - we did.

Weekend Review: The house of Many Colors

Back in October hubby backed out of the garage just like he has done for years, unfortunately he didn't wait for the door to get all the way up and so he took out the bottom of the garage door. It's only a door right, so we got an few estimates and decided on a new door. We (and by that I mean "I") were thinking of painting the house a different color and this was the perfect time to make the change. Get the door we wanted and then paint the house to match. Great Plan Right? We thought so too! Best laid plans ......

We ordered the door and had the paint chip so we could match it to new house paint. Then hubby got the flu (after getting the flu shot a few weeks before), it rained, it got too cold, we got busy with other things and then the new door showed up.

Remember the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors? He was so proud of that coat and wore it all over the place. Well we now have a house of many colors. The top is dark yellow, the window trim is light pine green, the bottom is hot chocolate brown, the shutters are dark country red, and the door is forest green! Unless we get some warm days where we can get out there to scrape, and paint we will have the house of many colors all winter! Since this is the house that God built, I guess it fits us! I'm thankful for our house of many colors. All are welcome!

Quick Tip Friday: Be safe and more

Today's tip is more about safety than quickness. I have these 3 apps on my iPod Touch and my iPad. The first two were free but I know that the Pet First Aid was only $3.99. They become important in an emergency.

Pocket CPR will help you learn just far down you need to push on someones chest to be affective. You hold it in your hands and really push against your leg to get the feel of how fast and how deep you need to push. It is a great learning tool. You will hear and see just how fast and deep you are going.

First Aid gives you a overview of what to do under circumstances such as what to do if a person cannot be woken up, injuries, chest problems and more.

If you have small children, grandchildren or even older parents you care for, these two apps will surely come in handy.

Pet First Aid has 3 wonderful features. First is educates you on what to do for your pet if they are hurt, bleeding, frost bite, and more. There are even some videos included to help you. Second, it allows you to put information about your pet into it for future use. A picture, vet information, medications, tattoo info, microchip numbers, animal poison control and animal emergency numbers. And third it has a list of pet first aid supplies and and evacuation supplies you need if you ever need them. What is great about this app is that when you need that information, you do not have to panic because you can't remember the number of your vet, you have it at hand. In the event that you and your pet get separated, you can bring the app to Staples and they can pull out the information and create a poster for you. If you have your pet microchiped, you can also contact them and get the word out faster that your pet is missing.

So although it might take a while to input all the information about your pet, when you need it, it's there and you do not have to panic because you can't remember something.

So my quick tip for this week is: Be safe, be prepared, have a plan, have a kit. See you next week.

Thanksgiving Thursday: Family

I have a wonderful Godly man as my husband. We met our senior year in high school where he thought I was a snob and I thought he was a slob. We both had a mutual friend, Debbie; so we all sat together. Over the next few months I began to appreciate his sense of humor, his integrity, his cheering for the under dog, his kindness. I have no idea what he saw he saw in me but by Thanksgiving Day we were talking on the phone, by Christmas we were dating. By April we were engaged and by July we were married. I' m not sure when I realized that I was in love with him, by that I don't remember waking up and saying " wow, I just fell in love!" but I did know that he was the only one I really wanted to be with because I truly loved him. Now 38 years plus later, I love his sense of humor, his integrity, his cheering for the under dog, his kindness and the way he loves me. I'm still trying to figure out what he sees in me but I am convinced that I got the better end of this deal.

He gave me 2 of the most special children ever born to a mom. Yes I know I helped but you get the idea right? Both are now adults with spouses and children of there own but as children they were the best.

First born was a son on New Years Eve (can you picture me dancing the Tax Write-Off Dance!) even at birth this child was trying to save us money. He was sick for many years, in fact the first year of his life, the hospital had him 6 weeks longer than we did! He was tiny, didn't eat much and taught me the true meaning of "Pray without ceasing". He was shy (like his mom) had a great sense of humor (like his dad) and a way of looking for the loop holes. For the longest time I thought he would be a lawyer because he was looking for a way around the rules at home. He grew into a strong, tall, healthy, loving, talented man who works with computers. I'd tell you more about what he does for a living but when he tries to explain it my eyes glaze over and roll to the back of my head. He could spend hours and hours playing with toys and would create a world for them where all got along and played nice.He is married to a wonder, funny, talented woman and they have given me 2 grandsons. They live on the west coast where he will not have to shovel snow ever again. His youngest son has a birthday today. Happy Birthday "N". Grannie loves you very much.

Born second, is our daughter. She came 21 days late and has had a hard time being on time ever since. In the old days they let you go that long over your due date - thankfully no more! I had wanted our children to be closer together but the Air Force had other ideas so they were 3 1/2 years apart. You could say I waited a very long time for my little girl!

She came into the world screaming and hungry and I knew I was in for it. She was born with dark hair and looked so much like her dad, the man I love so much. I would watch her breath for hours. She was sick a lot too, but at least we had her more than the hospital did. She has an opinion on everything and is not shy about speaking her mind. She is woman, hear her roar! If our son taught me to pray without ceasing, she taught me to be grateful in all things. Grateful that she didn't break something as she climbed back down the 20 foot tree she climbed up at 5 years old. Grateful that she did not do permanent damage to her hand when she cut it carving a pumpkin in Jr. High. She has her dad's talent for music and when I look at her I still see my little girl trying to learn to make cookies with her hair in her eyes. She is also married and to a musically talented man who works hard to provide for his family. She is by far more mature than I was when I was her age. She has given me my beautiful granddaughter who hugs my leg and she is currently pregnant with another granddaughter, due in February. So my 2 children have given me 4 grand children. My son and daughter has given me 2 grandsons and 2 granddaughters. Yep that's what I'm thankful for.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

From This Side of The Pond is hosting a Hodgepodge Wednesday with great questions. Thank you Joyce for taking over this huge undertaking. If you have never taken part in this it's a great way to visit other blogs that you have never visited and to get to know some great people out there in cyberspace. Here are my questions and answers, I'm looking forwarded to yours.

1. Do you think you're more like your mom or your dad?

Neither, I really think I'm more like my paternal Grandmother (Grannie to me). Her name was Maude and she was born in Scotland and came here during the Potato Famine that took place in the late 1800's in Scotland. She worked hard and at one point got a job by mail as a man (there were not a lot of choices for woman working in the early 1900's) She was the really frugal one of the family.

2. Do you like roller coasters?

No! I like my feet to stay as close to the ground as possible and my head above my feet at all times.

3. How did you name your blog and do you now wish you'd thought about it maybe another five minutes before you hit publish? Would you change your blog title if it were not a huge pain in the derriere? (French makes everything sound a little nicer doesn't it?)

I had come from the eye doctor with the knowledge that I now needed bifocals and I felt old. Instead of whining about it, I decided to do something that made me feel young. Technology keeps me young (or least learning) so the blog was born. I like the name so it stays. It fits me.

4. What is the best wedding gift you received? Not married? Didn't get any gifts? Then what is the best wedding gift you've given?

We were married over 38 years ago so I don't remember the weddings gifts but when our son was born, my darling hubby got me a blender instead of flowers. I had that blender for over 20 years. I'll bet those flowers didn't last nearly that long. The best wedding gift I ever gave was our children to their future spouses.

5. What is the one bill you most hate to pay?

The car payment. I know that once the car is paid off, it will either start to break down and I will pay to get it fixed or I will trade it in and start all over again. Makes me nuts!!

6. Is the glass half full or half empty?

That depends on my hormones! So at any time on any day I can be half full or half empty. Makes me fun to be around - just saying.

7. What is your favorite word? Okay okay. Calm down. How about one of your favorite words?

One of my favorites words is "Grannie" the way my 19 month old granddaughter says it. It melts my heart every time and when she hugs my leg and looks up at and says it, I will give her the world! I love being a Grannie.

8. What will be your first question for God when you get to Heaven? OK so maybe not your first, but what would you like to ask Him when you get there?

Deer Ticks? Really?

So now it's your turn, answer here or on your blog and head on over to From This Side of The Pond to see their answers and visit new blogs.

Recipe of the Week: Cheeseburger Pie

I love easy meals, especially when I'm running late or really busy. Lately I have been both running late and busy so this Cheeseburger Pie works for me. I also love the smell while it's cooking. One more added bonus....the heat from the oven while it's cooking! I like heat!

There are many versions of this - this is mine.

1 pound hamburger

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 eggs

1/2 cup Heavy cream

4-6 ounces cheddar cheese shredded

Seasonings of your choice (I used onion power, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes)

Cook the hamburger and onion till onions are tender and meat is completely cooked, drain grease. In a separate large bowl mix the eggs with cream. Add the meat mixture and the seasonings and 1/2 of the cheese and mix well. Put all in a greased pie pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings

Total net carbs 2.5 per serving

Really good! Really try it, let me know what you think.

Weekend Review: Craft Time

It has been very cold here so we have the stove going at night to keep the chill out. Some sort of bug entered the household so we stayed low and rested a lot. Most of Saturday was spent doing the usual, food shopping, cleaning and working on the baby quilt as well as Christmas shopping for the west coast crew so we can get it out. We did manage to get out the Birthday Gift for our grandson who lives on the west coast. Sunday was craft day.

Don't you hate it when you are looking at other blogs, see a great project but then don't bookmark it so months later you want to do the project and can't find it? Well that is what happened to me this past week. I did remember who's blog I saw the project on so I contacted Monica at The Homespun Heart and asked her for the link. Monica was super fast at getting back to me and sent it to me. Thank you Monica! After looking at it again and pulling together my supplies, I started working.

I was given a whole bunch of these canvas bags and they are the perfect red but they have a company logo on them. Looking through my stash of supplies I found this fabric and created this bag. We were having a pounding at church for a couple who just moved here from Nigeria. A pounding is when several families (or in this case the church) gives a new family who just moved to the new community a pound of this and a pound of that. A pound of pasta, pound of flour, you get the idea. Instead of putting the items in a plastic bag or a plain canvas bag I wanted to dress up the bag.

Following the directions from Monica's site, here was my bag of pounding items. I added a welcome card to the front. Cute huh?

What did you do for the weekend?

Quick Tip Friday: Chocolate, Caramel, Vanilla Chai

As much as I love my morning coffee - and I DO Love my morning coffee, come evening I want a nice cup of Vanilla Chai from Starbucks. Unfortunately, living a low carb lifestyle means I need to find a substitute for that high carb treat. Here is what I make

Chocolate, Caramel,Vanilla Chai Tea

1 tea bag Celestial Seasonings Chocolate Caramel Enchantment tea bag (Honey Vanilla works well also add Sugar Free Caramel syrup to it)

1 teaspoon sugar free vanilla syrup

Heavy cream

Whipped cream

Boil your water and pour it over the tea bag in you cup. Once it's as strong as you like take out the tea bag and add the sugar free vanilla syrup and heavy cream. Top with whipped cream and enjoy! The whipped cream will melt into your tea and man-oh-man is this good! Build a fire, watch a movie and I promise you will not miss the high carb, high calorie, high sugar, high priced drink from that other place!

Have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday!

BTW here is Becke and I dancing. I can't figure out to shorten it, we got 2 dancers so just stop the tape after we are done - we are first. Becke is 10 1/2 year old yellow Lab and YES the camera adds 10 pounds to each of us!

Thankful Thursday: A month of being Thankful

While looking at another blog it was mentioned that November was thankful month and she had this great logo that she got at Photobucket. I liked it and it was free for the taking, so I did. Thank you Nanato4

So in the spirit of thanksgiving I am launching Thanksgiving Thursday for the month of November. Feel free to add what you are thankful for. I love comments! I get so excited when I see that someone took the time to not only stop by but also to add a comment as well. So make my day and leave a comment.

So the first Thankful Thursday I have chosen GOD.

See I believe that God made me, you and everyone else (and everything) in this world. He created all things and it was good. Satan introduced sin into the world and ever since then mankind had been running away from God. But, that didn't matter because God paid for us with the blood of his own son! I have a son who I love and I would not allow him to die for "sinners". Yet God did just that-He redeemed us: Galatians 3:13 to redeem is to buy back. I have accepted that gift and so that is what I am thankful for. See with that gift of redemption I also have some other pretty wonderful gifts. Here are just a few.

1. Eternal life in Heaven with Him when this one is over. We are ALL going someplace when this life is over, we get to pick where that is. I choose Heaven.

2. The Holy Spirit now lives inside me and talks to God for me when I cannot find the words. That includes both when I'm happy and when I'm sad.

3. I get to talk to Him anytime I want to. He never sleeps, never goes on vacation, never "steps away" for a coffee break. He is always ready to listen and reply.

4. When I mess up, I have instant forgiveness as soon as I truly repent and ask for it. There have been times when I have asked people to forgive me and they say they do but then in the future, the wrong I did comes back again and I wonder "Did they truly forgive me?" I know with God he forgives and then forgets what I did.

So for the first entry in Thankful Thursday I pick God. What about you? What are you thankful for today.