Thankful November: Day 27 & 28

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THANKFUL NOVEMBER: DAY 27 & 28
As I was writing the last post, I was thinking how thankful I am for all the "little things" in my life that I enjoy every day! Things like scented candles and pretty wrapping paper, simple things I take for granted, but things that make me happy. The other thing I am thankful for, is being able to buy gifts for my family and friends, and to be able to give to others {Toys for Tots, Union Mission, Food Bank, and others who have a need}.

this & that

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 I can't believe it's the last day of November! This month has flown by, even faster than usual it seemed, but it has been a very, very busy month, and I don't think we could cram another thing in. Our November is going out with a bang .....
 We spent 3 hours in the doctor's office yesterday, and she finally took care of Nathan's ingrown toenail...hence the slipper! He really did great with the procedure, and after getting a good night's sleep, he says it feels much. much better! I am very thankful that he made out so well.THANKFUL NOVEMBER: DAY 29 

• I have spent the majority of this week decorating, cleaning, organizing, and shopping {online of course!}. We can't get our tree until the end of next week because Window World is coming on Wednesday to install our windows and I want to get that done before doing the tree. I hope to have everything else finished by then though. I did finally order candles for the windows from QVC....no more cords!!!!!!! They should be here by then as well.
• Tonight, we had movie night. Peter & I watched Christmas Vacation, and Nathan & Kayla watched ELF. I'm anxious to watch it too! I'm going to DVR some other Christmas movies that we don't have to watch over the next few weeks.
• I fixed my December calendars today {I have several that I use}......December is slammed!!!!!! I am going to try to take "one day at a time", otherwise, I'm not sure I'll make it through December sane. We leave for Florida in 12 days for the Senior Trip!!!!!! Everyone is sooooooooooo excited!

THANKFUL NOVEMBER: DAY 30
I have been trying to get out this week to get a picture of the moon, but it hasn't worked out. It has been amazing! I started my Thankful November posts with a picture of the clouds, and had wanted to end with another awesome look at God's beautiful creation. Although I didn't get a shot of my own, I copied this one from the web to share. This same moon  that I stare at each night, can be seen by Logan in the wheelhouse of his boat down in the Gulf, hundreds of miles away. I am thankful for an awesome God who watches over us, no matter where we are. I couldn't think of a better way to end my month of thankfulness.

Pie of the Month: December

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A friend gave Peter some sweet potatoes last week, and I knew right away what I was going to make with them......Sweet Potato Pie, of course! I did use a few of them last weekend to try some fries {which were delish!}, but I was anxious to try my hand at making a pie, especially since I had started this new monthly challenge. I had planned on using Peter's grandmother's recipe, because I remembered that she used to make a delicious Sweet Potato Pie, but I couldn't find her recipe anywhere. Peter's mom still has her recipe box, but I came up empty-handed because it wasn't in there, and she couldn't remember how she made it. So, I went online and looked for a recipe, and here is what I came up with. It's actually a combination of two recipes that I tweaked a little.


Sweet Potato Pie

2-1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup evaporated milk
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup coconut
1-9-inch unbaked deep dish pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil, skin and mash sweet potatoes.

1. Mix together: potatoes, eggs, sugar, butter, milk, & spices. Fold in coconut and pour into unbaked crust.

1. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Top w/whipped topping {optional}.

5Q Friday....Dec 07

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1. How many times have you moved and do you have any tips?

I  moved a couple of times as a child. My parents grew up in the town we all live in now, but they moved to Williamsburg for 4 years while Dad attended William & Mary. While they were in Williamsburg, they had me. When I was 3, Dad got a teaching job on the Eastern Shore of Va, so we moved there for about a year, before moving back to our hometown when I was four. We lived in a rental house until I was six, then we moved into our new home, where I lived until I graduated from high school and married Peter. Peter and I rented for 8 years, before moving into the home we have now. Logan was 2-1/2 when we moved in, so we've been here now for almost 23 years.



2. Do you have a budget for the holidays, or just keep sliding the credit card and have a heart attack in Jan?

source

We {I}, make a budget, but sometimes we go over a bit on the boys. We don't charge anything for Christmas {except for an item or two from QVC....gotta love easy pay!}


3. What is the one medical thing you avoid like the plague?


I'm sure I can speak for most women here, I'm not a huge fan of that dreaded yearly physical....



4. What your least favorite Christmas song?


I'm not a big fan of  "Dominick the Donkey" or "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" .........



5. This Christmas are you spending more, less or about the same? Why? We are spending about the same since our gift list hasn't changed much from last year.

slow down December..........

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December is literally flying by!!!! I can't believe a third of it is gone already! I've been busy, very busy, too busy to blog, which does not make me happy. I decided to just do a random post of stuff I've been up to, since I don't know when I'll have time to post again.

First things first, we leave for Florida tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone is super excited! I can't wait to see the castle all lit up! I am going to take LOTS of pictures! :O)

• shopping- we spent all day shopping on Friday. We found the perfect tree at Lowes. We chose a Noble Fir again, as we really loved the one we got last year. They don't shed too much, I love that the branches are sturdier, and of course, they smell amazing! I also bought some garland for the front door.

I managed to check off quite a few gifts from my list, and picked up some other holiday items. I went a little crazy in Hobby Lobby, but how can you not?? I found some burlap ribbon for the tree-which I love!!

We took a little time out for lunch at Olive Garden...YUM!!!   

• windows- Window World came last Wednesday to install our windows. It took less than 2 hrs. to install 6 windows! I highly recommend this company, from the customer service, to the sales guy, to the installers, a great company to deal with -money well spent.

  

• lights- After looking at battery operated lights for our windows for several years, I finally broke down and ordered these:

Bethlehem Lights Set of 4 Battery Op.Window Candles
Again, money well spent! I {{love}} them! We have them on timer- so no more extension cords to unplug.

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to post more soon......I can't believe Christmas is just 2 weeks away!

Dominick's International: Tomato Soup

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If you know anything about me - anything at all! - you'll know that I love to cook and bake.  The more I can do at home, controlling what I put into my dishes and what my family eats, the happier we all are.  When given the opportunity to participate in a culinary challenge with Dominick's, highlighting some of the new international foods they are now carrying, I jumped all over it.

I took a deep breath and crossed my fingers as I read what my two mystery ingredients would be.  I got Dell' Alpe extra virgin olive oil and Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes.  To say I was happy that I got ingredients that go together is putting it mildly.  But... they almost go too well together.  I use tomatoes and olive oil constantly.

I thought and thought and tried to come up with something creative.  Something unique.  And then I remembered that when we went to Medieval Times, Mister Man enjoyed tomato soup for the first time in his life.  Bingo - I need to foster that enjoyment of tomatoes in a healthy and yummy form.

So I decided to make a simple tomato soup that really features the Dell' Alpe tomatoes.  And it was awesome.  Serve it up with a little bread, and everyone was thrilled.


Tomato Soup featuring Dell' Alpe evoo and Dell' Alpe pear tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 white onion
2 T Dell' Alpe extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 T flour
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable to make it vegan)
1 28 ounce can Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
2 T sugar*
salt and pepper to taste
10-15 fresh basil leaves

*Depending on your tomatoes and tomato paste, you may need to adjust this a little to get to the taste you want, usually just a little more sugar.

Directions:
Preheat a large pot.  Chop your onion while it's heating.  Once it's fully heated, add the olive oil, then add the onion.  Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned.


As the onion is cooking, prepare your garlic.  To help keep it from burning, you don't want to cut it up.  Instead, smash it with the flat of your knife.  Once you smash it hard, you can just pluck the peel off, easy peasy.  Add the garlic to the onion once the onion is pretty much done.  You just want the garlic to get fragrant.  Go ahead and add the flour, stirring to ensure that it is evenly coating the onions and garlic, and let it cook for two minutes.

Add the chicken stock and canned tomatoes to the onion and garlic mixture.  Make sure you're using good tomatoes, like the Dell' Alpe imported canned pear tomatoes, because they will be the focus of your soup.


How do you know you have good tomatoes?  Seriously, take a look at how gorgeous these tomatoes are!



Add the tomato paste and sugar, as well as 1 t of salt and maybe 1/2 t of pepper.  Turn the heat down so that it is just simmering.  You don't want this to boil.  Cover your pot and cook it for 30-40 minutes at a simmer so that everything starts to break down.

After that 30-40 minutes, puree your soup.  If you have an immersion blender, you're set.  If not, buy one but use your regular blender in the interim.  If blending in a blender, blend in batches and don't fill the container more than one-third full.  Use a kitchen towel and hold the top on, as blending hot liquids will create pressure that could force the top off.  Keeping it fairly empty and holding the top on helps a ton.  Or ... that immersion blender means you can do it all at once and in the same pot so no extra dishes.  Puree it completely.


Serve it immediately.  Chiffonade the basil and use it as a garnish or add some shredded Parmesan for an extra flavor boost.  The wee ones weren't interested in these accouterments, but I'd definitely go for them.  This will keep in the fridge for a few days, and it tastes better the second day once all the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Interested in making this Dell' Alpe highlighted soup?  Or exploring other international options Dominick's now carries?  I have a $50 Dominick's gift card to give away.

This one?  Super easy to enter.  You must tweet what your favorite international ingredient or dish is, using @Dominicks and @honestandtruly in the tweet along with the hashtag #DominicksIntl.  The only caveat is that you can't use the Twitter handles or hashtag as the first word in your tweet (e.g., "@honestandtruly @Dominick's I love..." doesn't work; "Hey @honestandtruly and @Dominicks" does work).

Tweet by Sunday October 7 at 7pm Central, and I'll choose a winner from eligible entries at that time.  You do need to be a US resident and 18 years of age or older.  Only one tweet per person is eligible.  You will need to provide me with your contact information within 24 hours so that you can be sent the gift card if you are chosen by random.org or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a gift card to purchase ingredients for my dish.  I was not provided with any additional compensation.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Shutterfly Holiday Card Giveaway

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Shutterfly has their holiday cards up already.  That's crazy, right?  Well, maybe not so much.

Last week, the wee ones and I had a playdate at the park with a friend when there was no school on Columbus Day.  While there, I ran into a friend who went to the park purely to take photos of her kids for her Christmas pictures.  Apparently it isn't too early to start thinking about it.

Me?  I have a bad habit of not getting my cards out until just before Christmas even though I have the best of intentions of doing them the week after Thanksgiving.  Life just gets insanely busy then, so maybe this is the solution instead.

I have yet to figure out what photos I want on my card this year - although I know this one of Little Miss in her holiday dress will go on it, as I promised back in July.


I love the options that Shutterfly provides simply because there are so many options out there.  Whether you want a flat holiday card or a folded religious Christmas card, there is something perfect.  I've used Shutterfly for the past several years, and the cards are always a nice heavy card stock with great printing quality.

While I prefer folded cards, there are plenty of options that are flat cards on photo paper, as well.  Those cards start at $0.40 apiece for quantities over 225, while a 5x7 photo card might be $0.85 apiece for 50 cards.

My favorite "new" feature is that many of the cards offer either a "what we did this year" type list on the front of the card or a text area inside the card where you can input a (short) holiday letter instead of printing and sending another note with the card.  My favorite has to be Our Top Ten, but there are several others that allow you to quickly share what you've been up to.


Because I can never decide on just one photo - and it's rare that both the wee ones are behaving in the same photo - I tend to go for cards with multiple photo options.  If you remember last year's holiday card, I gave up on the behaving part in the end and went with a goofy photo, but it worked.  Framed Wishes (shown below) is really close to the card I chose last year.  I still love it, but I probably need to get a little more creative.


My brain always seems to be spinning with one activity or child or another, so I seem to be drawn to the holiday cards that have different sizes and layouts of photos, with everything not in a neat little line.  Very Merry Moments fits that perfectly, although because I have so many Jewish friends, I typically choose a card that doesn't blatantly mention Christmas.


Instead, I think I've narrowed my selection down to Peace Cheer Monogram holiday card.  I'm not usually a big plaid person, but I love it in this case.  And I think the colors will go beautifully with Little Miss's red dress - which she's since outgrown by the way.  Now I just have to figure out what other photos to put in there.  One down, five to go, right?


Have I inspired you to start thinking about your holiday cards yet?  Go check out the Shutterfly special offers to see what discounts you can get.  Better yet - if you're ready, I have a code to give away for $50 off your Shutterfly order (excluding shipping, can not combine with any other promotions).  First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday October 29 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - when do you start your holiday cards?  Or do you not do holiday cards?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "It's only October, but @Shutterfly has holiday cards read.  Win $50 off your order via @honestandtruly. http://bit.ly/WqrJIk" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I will receive a discount for my holiday cards as part of this campaign for Shutterfly.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.