so i start early…

It’s almost September! In this household, that means our Christmas prep is underway. I’ve pulled out my Christmas Notebook, the Room Pages binder, the party planner, and miscellaneous storage binders full of Christmas ideas. This year, I’ve also added Pinterest to my bag of Christmas prep tools. Being visually oriented, Pinterest is a great way for me to bookmark links to online Christmas inspiration.

Pinterest.com

My sister Genny comes on weekends in October and November every year to help us put up Christmas decorations. Could NOT do it without her! Thanks, Genny!! This year, we’ve had a lot of fun on the phone, while looking at my Pinterest boards, and discussing what we may want to try this year. Spoiler…there may be a snowman in my bathtub for Open House!

Getting ready early is fun, really. 🙂 My binders (see below) make it easy.

The red one is one of three binders that contain ideas I pull from magazines. I used to be unable to tear apart magazines, but I got over that four or five years ago, pulled out the pages I wanted, and stored them in page protectors in these binders. I think looking at six feet of shelving, brimming over with Christmas magazines, finally did it…it’s so much easier to review that pertinent material condensed into a binder! Or three.

Every year, I add to the storage binders with new magazine ideas. I look through them each year before planning Christmas decorating, entertaining, etc. They give me a lot of inspiration. New ideas pop into my head when I look through the pictures in these binders. Sometimes the ideas have nothing to do with the actual picture, but the inspiration is there.

“Room Pages” holds pages that list all the ways I decorate each room of our home, with new ideas I may want to implement this year filed behind each Room Page.

Room Pages

The Christmas Party Planner binder holds the information I need for the planning of each large event we host during the holidays…our annual Open House, the Christmas House Concert, and the Library Dinner. It also has tabs for smaller events we host, though these are not on the calendar every year.

planning for Christmas

The Christmas Notebook is the backbone of our holiday prep. My Weekly Plan Pages (and a lot of other stuff!) are in there. Each WPP (Sept. 1 through Jan. 6) has a list of the things that need to be completed during that week to be ready for Christmas. Lets me have the Christmas I want with a lot less stress.

Weekly Plan Pages

This shot shows one of the TO DO pages. I have one for each room, and jot down the things I decide I may want to add this year. From here, those items will either be accomplished in the next few weeks or transferred to my Weekly Plan Pages for sometime in the next few months.

Christmas Notebook...and other binders

I keep a running shopping list in my Christmas Notebook, where I can list the things that need to be purchased or otherwise acquired. Each year, Genny scours thrift shops looking for items we may need and that helps with the budget, not to mention inspiration when she finds something particularly fun!

Christmas Notebook shopping list

Without these helps, we wouldn’t be able to pull together the holiday celebrations that we enjoy so much. But an organized plan keeps all the details in place. Step by step, they are easy to accomplish. The hardest part is the self discipline to JUST DO IT. 🙂

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ august 29, 2011

I’ve been busy getting my Christmas Notebook updated and ready for the holiday season. Plus a few other necessary binders…

planning for Christmas

More about that in another post later this week. For now, here’s our week’s menu.

Monday
Homemade Pizza with Mushrooms

Tuesday
Roasted Chicken
Baked Potatoes
Steamed Aspargus
Corn on the Cob
Green Salad

Wednesday
Chef Salad

Thursday
Thai Peanut Chicken and Broccoli
Rice

Friday
Cheesy Potato-Sausage Soup

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Spaghetti
Homemade Sauce
Garden Salad
Corn
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

getting to know you, getting to know all about you…

Oldest Daughter brought a kitten home with her when she finished her summer job at a girls’ camp in New York. The kitten, Cedar, is probably a few weeks older than our newly acquired kitten, Amy. It has taken them about a week to get used to one another. But now they play hard!

Here they are playing in the library, where everything was pulled out for the beginning of a toy storage project we want to complete before our twin granddaughters move to the area in a few months. More about that in a later post.

I'll take the high road

They can hardly stand it…waiting for someone to make the first move.

stand off

hello?

The little chair is a favorite place to play.

king of the chair

teasing each other

Gotcha!

gotcha!

After they play hard, chasing each other from room to room, they suddenly flop down and nap for several hours. Any convenient place works for them. Cedar chose the bottom shelf of the cleaning cart, which is in the kitchen doubling as a canning station right now.

nap time

Amy flopped down on the nearest cardboard box. Believe it or not, Christmas presents are starting to arrive! The kittens are enjoying the empty boxes!

worn out

We’re glad they have decided to get along. Now we have to reintroduce Zilli to the family. She just moved back home, after living with Middle Daughter for some time. She’s staying away from the kittens by holing up in DD’s room for now. Hopefully, she will relax and remember that life here was pretty good.

~~Rhonda

homemade tortillas

Oldest Daughter asked for tacos for supper. I decided to make Homemade Flour Tortillas. They were delicious! I made two modifications to the recipe. First I used Crisco instead of lard. I have never cooked with lard and didn’t want to buy it for the small amount needed in this recipe. Second, I used hot tap water instead of cold water after reading several recipes that claimed hot water was a must. I think the heat kept the dough soft and pliable, making it easy to roll out.

Mix together:
4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder

Add and mix until crumbled:
2 T. Crisco

Add and mix until well blended:
1 1/2 c. hot water (from the tap is fine)

You can mix it by hand, but I used the mixer. When all the ingredients were totally incorporated, I kneaded it with the dough hook for three or four minutes.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces. The recipe said it would make 24, but that would have made them too small. I formed each piece into a smooth ball, then used a rolling pin to make each one into a thin circle of about 8-10 inches.

tortilla dough

making tortillas

Cook the tortillas, one at a time, on a preheated pan. A cast iron pan would be best, but I don’t have one, so I used DH’s pancake griddle. Worked well enough.

cooking tortillas

Each one will cook a minute or two on each side. I fiddled with the burner through a couple of tortillas before finding just the right temperature. A medium-high was perfect. Even though each tortilla cooks quickly, it does take some time to cook them all. If you plan to try them, start well ahead of dinner time. As the tortillas cooked, I put them on a plate inside a folded kitchen towel to keep them warm, soft, and pliable.

These are a whole different animal than the tortillas that come from the grocery store. Oh, so much better! DH and all three girls thought they were great and gave them a big thumbs up.

yummy!

We’ll be having these again. I’ll probably cut the recipe in half next time and just make eight tortillas. I made eight for supper, then made the other eight afterward to use up the dough. I stored them in a square container and layered them between small pieces of waxed paper. We’ll see how they are tomorrow, warmed up, or perhaps we’ll cut them into wedges and bake them with a little cooking spray and some salt and garlic powder.

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ august 22, 2011

Our oldest daughter brought a kitten home from the camp where she worked this summer. Cedar and Amy didn’t hit it off at once and are still a little hissy, but they are beginning to play together.

stand off

They’ve been fun to watch. Their antics and growly fits make us laugh. I think they’ll be fast friends in another few days.

DD is not feeling well today, so she is watching Dr. Who while resting on the couch. Oldest daughter is doing the grocery shopping. We plan to clean out and organize the pantry this afternoon. At least take a stab at it. First, I need to clean out the fridge. Do not enjoy that job, but it needs to be done. First order of business…a sink full of hot sudsy water.

Here’s the menu for the week…I’m heading for the kitchen.

Monday
Tacos
Homemade Flour Tortillas

Tuesday
Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Baby Caprese Salad
Baby Baked Potatoes
Steamed Asparagus

Wednesday
Grilled Chicken
Veggie Packets in Foil
Sweet and Sour Cucumber Slices
Corn on the Cob

Thursday
Julie’s Fake Baked Ziti
Garlic Bread
Garden Salad
Corn
Peas

Friday
Hamburgers / Homemade Buns
Veggies with Ranch Dip
Red Grapes

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Turkey in the Crock Pot
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Green Beans
Corn on the Cob
Green Salad

Later this week…it’s that time of year…time to try some new recipes for our annual Christmas Open House. I’ve decided to take a few long-used recipes off the menu and replace them with some new recipes. For those of you anticipating Open House treats, this means the Nutmeg Logs and the Sugar Cookie Crisps. Both are great recipes, but I want to try something new. This week we’ll make Mocha Truffles. I’ll let you know how they come out.

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

my peach cobbler

For years, I’ve used a recipe from the August/September 1998, Taste of Home magazine, called “South Carolina Cobbler.” But it didn’t take long to know the recipe called for too much sugar for our tastes. I’ve revised it over the years until it fits a 9×13 baking dish and uses less sugar. I also added some spices.

Peach Cobbler

Here’s the recipe at Taste of Home online…South Carolina Cobbler. Interestingly, as I compared my magazine page to the online page, the amount of sugar was reduced online as well as the amount of butter. The recipes are for an 8×8 pan. Here’s my version for a 9×13 pan.

1/2 c. (1 stick) margarine or butter, melted

6 c. fresh, sliced peaches (or canned peaches in light syrup, drained)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (original recipe did not call for this)
pinch of freshly granted nutmeg (original recipe did not call for this)

1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350*.

Melt the butter and pour it into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.

Combine the peaches, sugar, almond extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir well. Set aside.

Combine the milk, sugar, baking powder, salt, and flour. Stir to mix well. Batter will be runny. Pour over the butter. Do not stir.

Top with the peach mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Here it is before the cinnamon was added to the top.

Peach Cobbler

Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, until golden brown.

Delicious served warm with ice cream! Also good cold for breakfast…ask me how I know…

The peach measurement doesn’t have to be exactly as given above. When I make this from peaches I’ve canned myself, I use two quart jars, drained. If you use store-bought, probably three large cans (are they about 29 oz.?) of sliced peaches in light syrup would be about right. And use ground nutmeg if you don’t have whole nutmeg to grate yourself. The taste of the two are not the same, but close enough. Freshly ground is better in my opinion, though. A brighter, fresher taste. I don’t measure it, just grate some in. Doesn’t take much.

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ august 15, 2011

The high temperatures of the summer months seem to be a thing of the past. It’s much more pleasant outside than it has been for a long time. The windows are open, the birds are chirping, the locust are singing. And the hostas are blooming beautifully. These particular ones are ‘Invincible.’ They have glossy green leaves and late blooming flowers.

hosta flowers

This week, DD comes home after two straight weeks of camp. I’m expecting a tired girl and lots of laundry. I’m also in the middle of Christmas planning. My favorite! There is still time to join us on the Christmas Notebook list, where I teach all about Christmas prep. Membership is open until the end of August.

We have a lot of adjustments coming our way. We found out this week that our younger son and his wife are moving from Illinois to Seattle, WA, in September. They have been living nearby for a long time and we are going to MISS them! This weekend, though, we had more big news. Our older son and his family are moving from North Carolina to Illinois in September! They will live a mere twelve miles away! Grands galore! We are so excited for everyone…new jobs, moving, life’s adjustments…can’t wait till I can see grands whenever I want. And grammies want a lot, you know. 🙂

Here’s the menu for the week. Getting hungry for some stir fry.

Monday
Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
Rice

Tuesday ~ DD and her older sis get home from camp in New York. Supper timing needs to be flexible.
Homemade Pizza

Wednesday
Grilled Pork Steaks
Grilled Chicken Wings
Veggie Packets
Sweet and Sour Cucumber Slices
Garden Tomato Wedges

Thursday
Julie’s Fake Baked Ziti
Green Salad
Steamed Broccoli
Corn on the Cob

Friday
Tacos

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
BBQ Chicken in the oven
Oven Fried Potato Wedges
Corn on the Cob
Summer ‘maters
Mashed Potatoes because DD loves them

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

the rule is jam tomorrow and jam yesterday but never jam today…

…It’s jam every other day. So said the White Queen, but we have enough jam for every single day!

I made strawberry jam last week, and plan to make more tomorrow. Strawberries are cheap right now. Aren’t they pretty?

strawberries

strawberries for jam

All it took was a couple of pulses in the food processor and the strawberries were just right.

a kitchen tool I love

Filling jars with ruby red goodness.

filling jars with ruby red goodness

Some folks just invert their jars and call them done. I prefer to give them a ten minute hot water bath.

canning kettle

strawberry jam

36 jars of summer yum.

36 jars of summer goodness

Jam and homemade bread. It’s sooo good!

strawberry jam on homemade bread

The Pick Your Own site has great step-by-step instructions for canning and freezing your summer produce.

~~Rhonda

surprise lilies

The surprise lilies are in full bloom. So pretty! They add a dramatic touch to the garden, springing up suddenly (hence the name). I made a simple bouquet of them for church last Sunday, using glass florist pebbles to hold the stems in place.

Sunday bouquet

You can’t sit too close to them, though. The scent is very heavy and sweet. They do last a while in a bouquet. I put them in the vase on Sunday and now, on Friday, many of them are still beautiful.

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ august 8, 2011

I had a very busy week last week. DD and DH were at camp. DH is the director, so I help with organizing the registration forms, compiling lists, etc. I also make the camp “yearbook.” That’s 11 pages, printed both sides, full of camp pictures. It’s a special treat for the campers, but lots of work to finish! Kept me busy for three days and a good part of two nights. Thankfully, DD#2 went to camp as camp photographer, and took all the pictures we needed.

Over the weekend, I visited my sister and enjoyed spending a little time with her and another sister. This week, I am preparing for another year of home school.

The menu includes some items that DH and I enjoy, as DD is off to another camp. The house is quiet and I am learning how much I depend on DD to help me out with lots of little things…

Monday
Pan Seared Tilapia
Baked Potatoes
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Garden Tomatoes and Cucumbers

Tuesday
Taco Salad

Wednesday
Grilled Pork Steaks
BBQ Chicken Wings
Veggie Packets on the grill

Thursday
Baked Salmon
Boiled Red Potatoes
Peas
Corn on the Cob
Garden Tomatoes

Friday
Chef Salad

Saturday
Fridge Food

Sunday
Roast Beef in the Crock Pot
Baked Potatoes
Cauliflower / Broccoli
Garden Salad

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda