The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I am most definitely counting down the days until Christmas.  And mostly because it means 8 days off work.  On my most frustrating days at school, I remind myself that I do this so I can have those days off.  And also so I can make a difference in the lives of these little people in hopes that they can become functioning memebers of society... right?...

We I started decorating for Christmas last week.  Outside, I made Bob put up some lights, and he was none too pleased.  Then I was in charge of the inside decor. 

Adding this table behind the couch was one of the best things we ever did.  Our house isn't very original so we don't have many nooks and crannies to decorate.  So this has become my seasonal table, as you've seen in previous posts. 

My grandpa made those wooden reindeer and they make their appearance every Christmas :) 

 I got my inspiration for this on Pinterest.  They showed giant glass containers filled with a bunch of different shapes/sizes of ornaments, etc.  However, I couldn't find any big containers for under $20.  No thanks.  So I settled for these.  And I'm able to rotate and reuse them for different seasons.  I filled the biggest one with some sparkly red and gold ornaments I found at Pat Catan's on sale.  The rectangle one has vase filler cubes, also from Pat's on the bottom and small wreath ornaments on top.  My favorite is the one with candy canes.  Who doesn't love to use food as decoration??

Finally, I put some greenery I cut off from my big strand underneath and put it in the smallest container.  I added some pinecones I found in my Christmas stuff and some cinnamon sticks.  They make the house smell amazing (until they wear off).  I love that smell though so I may keep rotating with fresh cinnamon.






And here is the wreath I made last Christmas.

Everything was purchased from the wreath making section at...you guessed it...Pat Catan's!As you know, I love making my own wreaths.  It's not that it's necessarily cheaper, just more fun :)

A Happy Thanksgiving

It makes me sad that Thanksgiving is often overlooked by the general public.  The pilgrims put a lot of work into this holiday and I think that it deserves more credit.  I love Thanksgiving food.  I love the parade.  I love having 3 days off of school.  I love spending time with my family.  And I love Black Friday.  To a point.  I'm good for a few hours of shopping and then I wanna curl up under a blanket with a book. 

This Thanksgiving I tried out a brussel sprout recipe I found on Eating Well.  I slightly, barely adapted it to fit my circumstances. 

Ingredients:
1/4 onion, chopped
1 lb brussel sprouts
5 slices pancetta
1 tsp ground sage
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Start by cutting the brussel sprouts in half and slicing the pancetta.  Combine them in an 8X10 baking pan. 

Mix in the chopped onion, sage, salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

I baked them at 350 until they were tender.  I have no idea how long because there was a lot of multi-tasking and over-stimulation going on at my mom's.  The original recipe says 450 degrees for 15 minutes. 

This was the only picture we were able to capture of the final product because everyone ate them.  They were SO good.  I would definitely use this recipe again.  My apologies if you don't like brussel sprouts--something is wrong with you.  Something about the pancetta mixed in there makes them that much better.

Even the dogs thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.

And now we've moved on to Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, and decorating.  Can't complain about that :)