What I Did [Or Didn't Do] On Thanksgiving

[Don't judge the wine selection people. The screw off is actually sparkling cider]

What I did:
- Opened two cans of corn
- Whisked the roux into the gravy to thicken it and added salt and pepper
- Drank mimosas
- Slept

What I didn't do:
- Any of the shopping. Not one iota.
- The turkey [Pooldad - and ooooooooh, it was so moist and good]
- The pies [Start to finish? Apple was done by the oldest & Pumpkin by the youngest. Num]
- The sweet potato casserole [The youngest]
- The corn casserole [The youngest]
[Okay there is a pattern here, so I am not going to list everything. Suffice it to say, I did not cook one thing. Nothing. Nada!]

I also didn't:
- Decorate [All three]
- Set the table [The girls]
- Clean up [Pooldad and the oldest]

This is what my lovely family did for me. After 22 years - I have had the first Thanksgiving ever, in my adult life, where I did not have to lift one finger. I simply had to sit, watch the parade, drink mimosas [side note: We simply do not drink these often enough. They are delicious. How great are they? - Orange juice and champange? It's a good thing.] And I gave recipe advice and slept [the mimosa effect :D]. How awesome is it to get a nap on Thanksgiving? Before dinner?

ALL the food was scrumptious. I swear it all tasted like I cooked it myself. I mean that as an extremely high compliment. Not because I am the world's best cook - it is just that I have been doing this for so long. I know what an undertaking this was for them.

Thank you Skippy family for giving me the best Thanksgiving day I have ever had.

I love you all.

I am still so impressed and teary that they would put forth such effort for me. I can feel the tears coming on again. Sigh.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day.

Thanks for Giving to Me

I chose one of the family camping trips to illustrate just how lucky I am..... Our youngest and Daddy

Thank you for marrying me and giving me my lil' sunshine.
I posted this because I can [ha!] and it makes me smile. Big!
Plus, notice we do not forget the tunes while camping?
[see the boombox in the background? yes?]
Honey? Shave, please!!

This is a composite.
Thank you for my beautiful daughter.

But, boy-o, thank you for the caffeine that is in that cup.

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I could post a whole lot more, but right now I want to give thanks to these 3 - they make me happy to get up in the morning. They put a smile on my face the minute they walk in the door in the afternoon. And? They never cease to amaze me with how much they love me and let me know it is okay to not quite be "the Mom" I want to be.

They think I am close to perfect. Even if I don't believe them, it sure does make me feel good that they think so.

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Thanksgiving is always for you Pooldad, Squirrel and Porcupine.

I love you guys.

Wednesday's Recipe

This is covered in an egg wash with cinnamon sugar. It has heart cut outs.

EASIEST APPLE PIE

[**Beacuse Skippy is incapable of making pie crusts]

Crust
**1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
Filling
8 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (8 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
2. In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

TIPS:

-You can use Apple Pie spice instead of the spices. I just shake it over until well coated.

This pie was made by our oldest daughter for her Daddy for Thanksgiving. She used a heart cookie cutter to cut out the hearts and put them back on. Although it appears to be dark [burnt] it is actually the carmalization of the cinnamon sugar that makes it look like that. It is Daddy's favorite.

Now I have to go hide it. I think the rest of us would like at least a piece tomorrow. :D

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Friday Faux Pas

Or here in Skippyland it is a "Friday F-UP", but, since I am all about family and keeping it clean - I will be gentle. [I know it is not Friday, but this happened last Friday.]
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Here's the deal - there are some things you can do and some things you cannot do when you have my eyesight [20/700] and you have no corrective lenses to - I don't know- assist you in finding your way around the house.
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20/700 is pretty scary without the aid of contacts or glasses, let me just say. You can't gauge walls, colors, distance or depth [this is important later on.] Driving a car is not even an option, as in, you won't be locating said vehicle anytime soon. And reading? Nose to paper baby! - Heck, you can't see whether or not your pedicure is still holding it's own at your height of 5'8.
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Are we starting to get a feel for how blind Skippy is? Okay.
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I bring up the not being able to see my pedicure [feet] and depth perception for a reason, which leads me to my screw up.
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Spoiler: This story involves crafts [yay!] hot wax and my feet. It is not for the squeamish I assure you, but just thank me now for not posting the pictures. Really. Thank me.
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I decided the other evening would be a prime time to make my Christmas Wintergreen candles. [Small applause for trying to finish some presents ahead of time! Large smack in the head for upcoming stupidity tyvm.] These are soy based candles that are melted in a double boiler and then poured into cute little silver tins. Mental pic' working? Good :D
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The soy chips are white before melting, but become clear once heated [to 160 degrees]. That evening I discovered after the melt that I had no color to include [which would have given the clear melt COLOR and may have averted the upcoming big FAIL], but I thought since it turned white [once hardened] it would be adorable with a holiday ribbon/embellishment and didn't worry about the color. White is Christmasy, right? So with the soy chips melted, with the scent added, I was facing a bowl of clear liquid that I had to transfer from the bowl to the two inch high silver container.
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Now is the time you have to ask yourself:

1. Did Skippy decide, perhaps, she should just wait and reheat it tomorrow when she found her eye glasses or reinserted her contacts?

That would be a big "No".

2. Did Skippy think that, maybe, she wouldn't be able to gauge the amount to pour, because, y'know, she can't see?

Don't think that even occurred to her.

3. Did Skippy forge ahead and pour that pan of scalding wax into that little container with no thought to safety or the high burnability of skin or the fact that the probability of overflowing was defcon 5?

YOU BETCHA'

But this is because I am Skippy and what else would I do?
I mean besides talk in the third person? :D
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Yes tadpoles, that is what I did. And you do need to thank me again for not posting the picture of my foot because I am here to tell you - Hot soy wax? Burns...and it burns like no one's business on bare feet. [This is me being gentle again. Because you know and I know the words "Son of a ...." were coming out of my mouth as opposed to "no one's business" You're welcome.]
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So there it is. My bravado, blindness and stupidity rewarded me with a burn on my left foot. The aftermath was that I had quite the icky wound on top of my foot. Which means no long pants, no slippers, socks, showering or, come to think of it, SLEEPING. Try sleeping with the "Burn o' Stupidity" on your foot. It is not happening folks. Not.happening.

Wednesday's Recipe to come later today!

Thanksgiving Postcards

I spent the evening making Thanksgiving postcards for my family. They turned out pretty good, I think. This one is for my in-laws. There is an inside joke on this one.

This one is for my Aunt & Uncle in- law. I wasn't too crazy about the corn.

...and this one is my favorite and is for our 96 year old Grandma.

I made more but they have already been mailed as they are going farther away.

Now I am going to work on making a felt softee for a swap I am involved in. It should be interesting because I have never made one before. Wish me luck or, better, tell me how! :D

Pay it Forward

photo credit: The Squirrel

The lovely blogger [Gail] who writes At the Farm with Gail has graciously treated me to a "Pay it Forward" Gift. As I was one of the first 3 people to comment on her Pay it Forward post I promised to return to my blog and carry on the tradition.

In the spirit of this neat idea I am offering a gift for the first 3 people who post a comment to this entry. When I have the three I will request your mailing address [via email/not to be shared] and send you a new, wrapped gift for entering. In return all you have to do is promise to return to your blog and do the same.

Doesn't this sound like fun?

I look forward to hearing from you all. Since Pooldad isn't allowed [he doesn't have a blog and I already gift him enough-through sheer presence alone, right honey?] I figure the other 5 tadpoles can duke it out. Hee :D

The Turkey is in the House!

This is me and the youngest petting a very tame turkey before we went horseback riding [hence the oh-so-attractive headgear!] No, this is not the turkey mentioned in the story :D

I am so excited! The Greatest Holiday in all the land is a mere 5 days away. Squeeeeeee! Although I would love to be able to spend beaucoup dollars on a fresh heritage type turkey, alas we are going with our typical standby - the grocery store Tom. This will be my 22nd year of making Thanksgiving and I have always bought from our local grocer. Sometimes frozen, sometimes fresh and never Butterball [I think they are overrated, but just my opinion.] I have always had a nice, moist turkey with no complaints from the masses so I just stick to what I know and can afford.

Since this year I am making Thanksgiving twice - once on Thursday for our immediate family and then again for my in-laws on Saturday - we purchased our turkeys today. My most awesome husband found a 12 lb. turkey for $5.83! Can you believe it? If that isn't spectacular enough he also discovered fresh oysters [12 oz] for $7.99 - but they were $4.00 off! Yippppeeee!

This is, by far, my most favorite holiday and to be able to get such a deal on the two non-negotiable ingredients just makes it so much happier, don't you think? I can fudge mashed potatoes, rig up the yam casserole, homemake the rolls and suffer through homemade pie crusts [they would be awful, but they would at least look like pie crust], but I cannot and will not do Thanksgiving without a turkey [duh] or especially Grandma's oyster dressing. Besides, if I even attempted to stuff the bird with anything but the oyster dressing I would find myself sleeping on the front porch because that is where the lil' heathens would put me.

I can't stand the waiting. I don't think our youngest can either. She saw her Dad bring the turkey in the house this morning and was excited - "Oh Mom, you are making turkey today?" Her poor little face was so sad when I had to point out that um, no...that is for Thursday, honey. She knows the recipe and is capable of making the dressing, but thank goodness she hasn't learned to roast a turkey yet because she is just squirrely enough to cook it before the holiday. Hee.

One more thing - since this will be the first year in many years that I am only cooking for 4 [4! can you believe it? It is usually around 12 - but 4! Woot!] we have instituted a constest for Thanksgiving Day. A $20 gift card goes to the person that dresses the goofiest for dinner. Pretty inventive, right? I figured we aren't going to dress up, jeans just don't seem Thanksgiving-y enough and we all love a good, fun contest.

I will post pics [maybe] and let you all vote. Unless there is an obvious clear cut winner [like, say Pooldad in high heels and a boa?] I will let blogland pick the winner. :D

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Quiet Little Angry

Skippy is not happy. And LOOK! it took me less then a month to post cranky.

At the beginning of every school year we are asked to sign a form that allows our children to be photographed in the public school atmosphere. The purpose of this is for use in vocational videos [to use in the county], the yearbook, class activities, etc. Nowhere does it mention that your child can be photographed for professional purposes for RESALE. I sign this because the candid shots and the team photographs in the yearbook are nice to have for the kids.

Unfortunately...

We returned home from the Marching Band Dinner Banquet tonight with a lovely picture taken of our oldest - full band uniform regalia, marching at competition. This picture is gorgeous and literally brought tears to my eyes.

Upon inspection I discovered that the picture was professionally taken. Fine and thank you for the gift. Then I noticed that the website was printed on the back of the picture. I went to the website to check it out and there is my baby - along with 300 other pictures of her bandmates - FOR SALE at the photographer's website.

I signed for her to be photographed for school use as stated above - NEVER was anything mentioned that she would be placed on the internet FOR SALE. I would have NEVER, EVER allowed her to be photographed at all had I known that I did not have complete control over what is posted, reprinted or SOLD[?] of her image on the internet.

Granted, she is beautiful in her band uniform and it is quite an innocuous picture [not revealing etc]. But, BUT it is MY CHILD and no one is going to use my child in anyway, shape or form. I did not agree to this and I am madder than heck.

I am so mad and unfortunately it is midnight, otherwise this gentleman would be getting an earful from me regarding posting MY CHILD's picture on the internet for SALE.

I know not all of you have kids, but you have to understand what a violation this is. People are welcome to go and make their living - doing what they do - but these are minor children and they should not be allowed to violate the agreement the parents signed at the beginning of the year simply to profit.

Can you imagine if the flag corps parents discover that their daughters are on his website? Believe me - their uniforms nowhere near cover what my daughter's does. They are very pretty and tasteful, but they are basically cheerleading uniforms. Cute and with a purpose, but I don't think the flag corps Moms I know signed up for this either.

I hate, hate, hate this.

UPDATE: I spoke to the photographer this morning [Saturday] and although he was a bit surprised by my request he did remove her picture. :D

Do a Gal a Favor!

Everyone knows of my undying admiration for my pal Yvo, yes?

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I could expound on this and add that she has a spectacular blog [two! in fact] or I could mention that she is a great writer and she's funny and loving and kind or I could simply blather on for pages about what an awesome cook she is....but that would be gushing and knowing her and knowing that all that unabashed flattery would just go straight to her head - Well, we just don't really want that now, do we? ;D

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Edited to add: Oh and here is the link [scroll down until you see the pic - is too the right link] to the original recipe, because did I mention she is demanding too? giggle.

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So, in light of the fact that I forgot her birthday [some friend I am, right?] I am asking all six of you who read my blog to please, please, please go over HERE and vote for her amazing recipe. The site received 150 entries but only 27 made it into the finals and Yvo's was one of them!!! No sign up is neccessary - just click on the link [please?] and find her recipe - it is listed under "Yvo" and it is a beef over rice dish.

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I would love to see her win. Now please go vote! It only takes a second!

Oh, and Yvo? I don't beg for just anyone, okay? But [evidently] I am not above stealing pictures from your blog....heehee!

The Next Time. . .

[I am Hermione, feel my wrath]

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This one huffs around and says we don't do enough for her will you PLEASE remind her that I made fried rice for her bento box at 4:30 am in the morning?

Will you?

[She is a great kid, don't get me wrong. We could not ask for more. We attended her NHS inductions last night.]

Seriously though, cooking at 4:30 am? Uh......

Our First Bento Pictures

Okay, I admit, not as pretty as Yvo's [at feistybento], but well balanced I think! It is a little too green in the top picture, but we ran out of cherry tomatoes making our earlier bentos this week. The kids made their own and this is the youngest's. I think it is pretty neat and they love it.

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Top bento: [clockwise] ranch dip, green pepper, cucumber and celery

Bottom bento: [clockwise] homemade chocolate chip cookies, dill pickles, potato rolls with peanut butter and mix nuts. In the middle is a little bear bottle with honey for the sandwiches and nuts.

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We also ran out of grapes - so she will stash an applesauce in her bento bag. The older will be taking the same veggies in the top box, but will have fried rice [made by Mom!] in her bottom bento.]

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Wish me luck on the fried rice.

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Oh, and Yvo [feistyfoodie]...we seriously need to talk about your birthday - which I totally missed AND the date you were born. I do thank you, thank you, thank you for the Momma feisty post tho'. She is so great! [Heck, I want your whole family. Can I borrow them for my birthday next year?]

Recipe Wednesday - CHEQ

V-8 Vegetable Soup

1 Large Jug of V-8 Juice

1 16 oz bag of frozen vegetables

1 half head of cabbage - chopped bite size

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1. Put all ingredients in a dutch oven, mixing well.

2. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer. Cover.

3. Simmer for approximately 2 hours or until cabbage is soft and translucent.

Serves 5 with a bit of leftovers.

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Tip:

-This can be made in a crockpot on low, but you need to add about another half of a bottle of the juice as it tends to evaporate during cooking. Set on low for 6 hours. [No need to bring it to a boil.]

-You can add [dried] cheese tortellini during the last half hour of cooking [either method] - but it doesn't need it, really.

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C - Cheap to make [cabbage @ $1.00, veggies @1.00 and V-8 @ 3.50 = $5.50]

H - Healthy - V-8 and veggies? Yep!

E - Easy - [seriously, right?]

Q - Quick - Quick to prepare! And it smells so good cooking.

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This sounds like a meh! sort of recipe, but you would be surprised at how delicious it is and how much kids love it. It gets it's kick from the V-8. Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich. Yum!

Kilroy Was Here

Does anyone get this?

Assistance needed, please!

Have any of you ever sent anything to Russia?

I have a few questions if you can answer them:

• How long does it take to get to where you sent it in Russia?
• What kind of restrictions are there on food? etc.
• Do you have to pay a customs fee if the box is full of gifts?
• Is the postage really prohibitive? I don't particularly care, just wondering.
• What would you like to receive if you were in a foreign country and missing home at the holidays?

Thanks for any and all help. I will be thinking about this for a while, but I want to start assembling this box soon as I want it to arrive to be enjoyed before Christmas.

Trixie Bird What's The Word?

This is our Trixie Bird.

According to her colors/plummage Miss Trixie may actually be a Mister, but we aren't quite sure. She answers just fine to "Trixie Bird" so it is all good.

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She was a gift from the gang to me, except we all [me included] forgot just how allergic my doctor informed me I was to bird feathers and the deritus they kick up in their cages. She now resides in the youngest's bedroom, but she chats with me all day long. She is just up the stairs from where I normally am, and she will cheep, chirp and whistle to get my attention. She always chats when I go up to take a nap around 1 pm. It is her "have a nice nap" cheep I guess.

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The neatest thing about Trixie is she is an avian alarm clock. Heaven forbid someone sleep past the 7 am hour in this home during the week. She starts her chripy talk to let someone [me!] know that we need to get a move on, because "you humans have to appreciate that breakfast is to be eaten and you understand peoples...there is not one, but two busses to be caught. Now get up!" She is so funny. She also understands the concept of the weekends. She will give a hesitant "cheep" or whistle at 7 am on a Saturday, but it ends quickly and she falls back to snooze. She knows that our real business is the five day week and not to be noisy on those days we get to sleep in. She is good that way. However the bird does not understand holidays. It took her a good two weeks to appreciate that summer vacation had started - now hush up bird we are sleeping here. Can't wait for that two week Christmas vacation coming up!

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Some people are surprised to learn that cockatiels are known to talk, but of the two we have had neither has. It doesn't mean they don't mimic or try really hard. Our first cockatiel was a bit older than Trixie and she could mimic any whistle that we did after a bit of practice. She had my husband's "I am home" whistle down pat - to the point that we would mistake her whistle for him walking in the door. She was cheeky. [Her name was Grace-we miss her].

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Trixie loves to mimic me calling her name and when I say "Trixie Bird what's the word?" she tootles it off. She doesn't so much say it as the cadence is there. They are interesting pets as they aren't quite as snuggly as dogs and cats, but they sure do have their own personality and give kisses and need attention just as much as our four legged friends.

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This is posted because I love the picture my daughter took and hey, she is a great pet! I wish she could be by me all day as she is a hoot to talk to, but I cease to breath if I am around her too long. I do go in each day to visit with her and she has a whole routine she must complete when I go into the bedroom. It involves showing off all her toys [you can see them in the picture] and running the gauntlet of perches. It is the same all the time and really cute.

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I thought you all might like to see her too.

Guest Post!!!

Hello! It's me, Skippy Mom's youngest. I am excited!. This year, the day after Thanksgiving we're going to put up our Christmas trees!! Yah! Me and my family are actually doing it a lot differently this year. This weekend me and my mom are going to start making ornaments. My mom already started getting presents! Some of them are big and some of them are small . But, whatever the size, all Christmas is about to me is being with my family. I do have to admit I do like getting presents, don't get me wrong. Some kids will just go gimme gimme and it gets on my nerves. Well, speaking out of my point of view anyways! Hee, Hee. I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. And since it's not Thanksgiving yet, Happy Thanksgiving and an early Merry Christmas!

- Skippy Mom's Youngest!

[gratuitous picture posted by SkippyMom attempting to cover all 3 holidays in one post]]

Bento SWAG has arrived!

[please click for the most awesome larger image and to experience my gluttony.

Yvo? you can just hush up now]

Wow! What more could a girl ask for?

The Muppets [which I also found out you can buy at Costco - thank you Amy!], a great article detailing how not to repair your own lawn mower "in house" AND my Bento showed up today?

Slap me silly Martha and call me for dinner 'cause this Friday is just getting better and better.

That is all.

I think I need a nap.

[Note: This post was written for the pure enjoyment of Pooldad, who is languishing at work. See you later honey!]

Because I Usually Do Small Motor Repair in My Bedroom or Why the Internet Amuses Me So

Yes, yes my tadpoles. When I feel as though I need to clean my lawnmower I take it to my master bedroom. Oh, and for fun? I smoke while I am doing it.

Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame prediction comes true

Seriously.

Friday is just turning out to be a BANNER day for me folks.

You Aren't Leaving this Blog Without A Smile on Your Face

Another one of my new found blog loves over at EONYC clued me in on the well known secret that yes, Skippy, you CAN watch the Muppets on YouTube.com.

Can I just tell you my whole week, nay, dare I say MONTH was made?

If this does not make your Friday a much happier place to be then you are:

1. Either a much, much younger person then I am [although our kidlets get a kick out of it crankypants so don't pull the ageism card on me buster] or. . .
2. You really are the aforementioned crankypants or even, perhaps. . .
3. You have no sense of humor or imagination whatsoever. Which would make me sad, but not when I get to watch this:



Knowing the six people that may be reading my blog today I know I caught you smiling! HA! Happy Friday y'all. Now try to go around work today not singing "Mahna na na"! LOL. Is there [really] anything better than this? :D um...don't answer that in comments please. Don't make me come out there and moderate.

PS - No PoolDad - I did not put the "Beaker's Mimi" up here. Asthma attack inducing videos are not conducive to times when you are not in residence. tyvm.

Equal Time

So you don't think I favor our youngest [from the previous posts] we do actually have another daughter - TA DA! Can those of you who remember her believe how much she has grown? She is taller than Momma at this point. Oh, and why did Momma pick this picture? Because this is how she goes fishing. No poles and nasty hooks for my girl. No siree. She is all about that ziploc bag and bait, baby. That is how she caught her fish [ahem, minnow?] Which, if you can't tell from the expression on her face, she is making friends with.

Hence why we refer to her as our very own Dr. Doolittle. Our future Veternarian

Just A Dab Will Do Ya!

This is what our youngest daughter's hair looks like on a normal day [sans bow of course]:This is what happens when you ask Mommy to mousse you up and throw in a few curlers:

Isn't it great? She was thrilled. Can you tell?

Wednesday's Recipe

HAM, BROCCOLI & CHEESE WREATH

1 can chunk ham

2 cups broccoli florets, cooked

2 cups shredded swiss cheese

1 tbsp prepared mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

1 can crescent rolls [8 crescent rolls]

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. On a cookie sheet lay crescent rolls [fat side overlapping] in a circle and make a star pattern, with points out. Our youngest says it looks like a sun when you get done. Put aside.

3. In a large bowl combine all ingredients [breaking up ham into bite size pieces]. I don't usually measure anything - I like mine a little more mustardy [word?]...so I might put a little more in.

4. Spoon mixture onto the crescent rolls in a circle covering the fat part [towards the center.

5. Pick up the pointy ends and wrap around the mixture, tucking under to seal.

6. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees until golden brown. Approximately 13 minutes.

Folks, it just does not get any easier then this. You don't have to serve rolls - look crescents! No salad - hey broccoli! - the meat and cheese? It's in there.

It is all good folks. All good. Quick, easy and cheap! Three things I love.

It reheats well too, although we rarely have leftovers.

P.S. The picture shows a double batch made with a can of the LARGE 6 piece butter crescent rolls. This was for when we had company - but I usually make it with the 8 regular size crescent rolls. Also, store brand crescents work just as well. You don't have to spend the extra to be all Pillsbury. :D

As IF....

This is the sleep of the young.

When did I lose the ability to sleep like this?

Because I am telling you now if I could sleep like THIS I would be a whole other Skippy.This picture was taken after an early morning of horseback riding.

[6:30 am!!]

She actually slept in this position for 3 hours.

I was jealous.

And cranky.

Who is that Masked Man?

Or it should say "Who is that non icon bearing follower"?

Please refer to my my side bar.

That would be my delightful husband whom I usually refer to as "SkippyDad" or "SkippyHusband" depending on the timbre of my posts.

He is now going to be known as "Pooldad" as that is what he picked. All the goofy comments from Pooldad? Yep! That would be my hero. Awwwww

Seems Mr. Man has gone and signed up to Blogger and is now following my blog.

He doesn't have a blog yet, but I am hoping to help him set one up because he is actually the one with the best swimming pool customer stories [anyone remember those? giggle]

Isn't he cute?

Great Idea For Christmas Gifts - Bartering!

I barterz for Chrishmush?

Here is a wonderful idea for Christmas brought to us by Deborah at her blog Antiquity Oaks.

It involves bartering your skills, crafts, baked goodies or your stuff with other bloggers to use as Christmas gifts.

I love this concept. You can read all about it over at this link:

Antiquity Oaks: Planning for Christmas

If anyone would be interested I could barter any of the following:

I make the following:
- Goat's milk soap
- Dead sea salt balt salts or scrubs
- Lip Balms
- Laundry Soap Starter kits [just add water! instructions incl.]
- Candles
- Mini quilts [wall hangings]


- I also have "stuff", mostly from my craft stash:

-Fabric - lots of fabric - mostly quilting fabric
-Buttons
-Thread [new, unused spools]

Plus other miscellaneous stuff I can't think of right now, but may add in the future. Or just ask - I may have it!

Go ahead and take a look at the link.

A Wonderful Story and a Beautiful Quilt Giveaway

Sometimes you just can't help but know that there is great heart in this world.

A lovely woman and quilter named Abbie, who lives right next door to me [statewise-Hi! West Virginia!] has posted a story about her friend Beth who donated her bone marrow to a stranger. As a gift to Beth, Abbie was asked to make Beth a quilt. It is lovely and a beautiful way, I think, to say thank you.

In honor of Beth and the quilt Abbie has decided to give away a similar quilt and ask that you visit her blog to enter.

The link is here. You may leave a comment for one entry. If you would like two entries then please post about it on your blog.

I think this is an excellent way to not only introduce Abbie and her blog, but to honor Beth's gift and to advance the need for Bone Marrow Registration and Donation.

Too Good To Be True

Aren't they lovely? They are three sets of three nesting baskets [for a total of nine] that Skippyhusband found for me at JoAnn's Fabrics this weekend. I love these baskets for all sorts of storage from my amoire, to the pantry or even sitting on the counter holding bread and chips. When he mentioned he paid $20.99 per set I gulped [a bit] I will admit, but I needed them and I REALLY wanted them, so $7.00 a basket with liner didn't seem so bad.

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Imagine my surprise when I was filing the receipt and noticed that he hadn't paid $20.99 per set. They were on sale! The receipt listed the price of each set $9.99 with $1.00 off each set. [Still following? Because it is going to become even weirder and more mathy!] That is a total of $27.00 for 9 baskets. Holy bargain shopping Batman!! - that is $3.00 per basket! I was walking on air all day Sunday over my husband's crazy shopping skills. What a deal! Now I would have a place for all this paperwork and bento. How wonderful. Squee!

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Alas, it is not to be.

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While taking the photo to illustrate this post I took them apart to give a better view of their size. Surprise! Each individual basket has a price tag, which is not noticeable if you do not separate them. Obviously Skippyhusband and the cashier did not. In defense of my husband we have bought sets like these before [at Target] and they are charged as a set, not individually. Also, to be kind to the cashier our local JoAnn's is a madhouse on Sundays and I am sure the poor woman just wanted to be home. Besides, that store has about a gazillion products, so the cashier probably didn't know to pull them apart. They look like a set to me anyway.

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Instead of 9 baskets for $27.00 I will have to return them and pay the other price which if I figure correctly goes like this: 3 small baskets, marked at $9.99 - 1/2 off sale makes them $5.00 minus the additional $1.00 off is $4.00 per basket or $12.00 for the small. 3 medium baskets, marked at $14.99 - 1/2 off sale makes them $7.50 minus the additonal $1.00 off is $6.50 per basket or $19.50 for the 3 medium. The large are charged at the original $27.00 because that was the outside basket price tag used.

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In summary: $12.00+$19.50+27.00 = $58.50. Sigh. Not a bad price, all in all, for nine baskets. It works out to $6.50 per basket which is even less then I originally thought, but still more then I wanted to pay, especially after I saw the "bargain" Skippyhusband and I thought he received. Spoiled lil' me. hee!

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Since they are a want - as in I want them to make the house prettier while organizing - as opposed to a need - I don't need them, neccessarily, to organize my home - sniffle, I will be returning some of them to JoAnn's.

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Well, aren't I allowed a few to prettify my space a little? I mean this paperwork isn't going to organize itself, right?

Hide & Go Seek

This is a picture of our youngest playing hide and go seek with SkippyDad.

She had no idea he was right behind her with the camera. I love how intent she is on the front of the wagon, thinking he is out there in front, somewhere. The poor child must have a slight hearing problem because her Daddy is not the lightest of foot and he was that close to her. Hee!

Saturday Seven

Seven things I would like to see accomplished today:

1. Clean off my dining room table.
I have the most awesome dining room table. Unfortunately it is huge - great for Thanksgiving, bad for our daily life as we set everything on it and it simply piles up. Schoolwork, paperwork, bills, banking stuff, 2 computers, a printer, the phone, the camera, a gift basket I haven't sent yet. You get the idea. Drives me batty, but it has to be done.


2. Clean off my kitchen table.
Okay, before you judge, there is no junk, paperwork or misc. on my kitchen table. I am a better housekeeper than that. It just has a bunch of food I need to put in the pantry. But that requires that I......

3. Clean out the pantry.
To make room for the food on the kitchen table. [vicious cycle isn't it?]

4. Laundry
I will collect it and sort it today, but I am out of laundry soap. So I need to.....

5. Make more laundry soap.
It takes one day to thicken, so we will do laundry during the football games tomorrow. I think I may make lavendar laundry soap for us girls. The boys can suffer or if I am feeling industrious I will make either regular [non scent] or sandalwood.


6. Dust and vacuum my bedroom.
I love our cherrywood bedroom set which Skippyhusband picked out, but it shows dust the minute you finish dusting. Any suggestions about this one? I do dust this room after I vacuum, but am I using the wrong product? Cloth?


7. Clean out a large cabinet and a drawer in the kitchen.
I went shopping online for bento goodies yesterday [thanks Yvo!] and now that I have 40 pieces arriving on Monday I think I need a dedicated spot for it. It will be the cabinet/drawer next to the refrigerator. [If you want to bento - please, please go to that site - the stuff is so neat and cheap! woot!]

Feel free to nominate this post for the "Most Mundane Suburban Housewife Blog Ever Award".

Seriously, I think I just bored myself to tears, sniff.

I will add, after I finish it all, Before and After pics.
Do you think that might spice it up a bit and actually force me to do it?
Although, if you get a gander of my dining room table you might never want to visit me.

And that would be sad. sniff

Does Anyone Know Who This Little Guy Is?

He showed up on our doorstep and would not fly away. Skippyhusband managed to have him hop on his finger and place him in the tree. As it was Halloween night we didn't want him to be trampled by all the trick o' treaters we [thought] we were going to get. Yeah, right! He was probably safer on the porch come to think of it.

Still, he did not want to fly away. He is a wee little baby bird. He fell, quite a distance, from the roof of our neighbor's home onto our porch. At first my husband wanted to put him inside with our bird, a cockatiel, in her cage. This was quickly vetoed by Mom who cannot stomach the carnage that she knew would've ensued.

No worries, he is gone now. I was just wondering if anyone knew what kind of birdie he is?

Wednesday's Recipe

CHICKEN POT PIE
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
2 cups cooked chicken, cut up
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed
1 package pillsbury pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Remove pie crusts from refrigerator, set aside.

3. Melt butter in a non-stick skillet.

4. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.

5. Stir in milk. Keep stirring until thickened.

6. Remove from heat and gently stir in chicken and veggies.

7. Prepare pie crusts according to package directions.

8. Pour mixture into pie crust and top with second crust. Crimp edges and cut vents on top.

9. Bake at 425 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

Serves 5

HINTS:

A. If you have the skills [which apparently I lack] by all means use your own, homemade pie crusts. Then come to my house and teach me how to make it, please?

B. You don't have to have a whole two cups of chicken - sometimes I cheat and use less. It just depends on how much I have on hand. Same for the vegetables. The other ingredients are exact. Please don't scrimp.

C. This can be made ahead, covered and placed in the refrigerator until dinner. It also freezes well. I defrost it in the refrigerator before cooking.

D. You can use canned vegetables in place of frozen. Bonus, you can also use 1 can of chunk chicken in place of cooked chicken, which makes it really easy and very white meaty.

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I usually make this during "Chicken Week" when I roast a chicken for dinner on Sunday, then use the remainder for stock and dinners for the rest of the week. I love being able to make 4 or 5 dinners out of one chicken. So economical!

Congratulations!

FOR THE WIN!

Well done sir, well done.

Now could you please help us out of this mess?

Thank you.

[P.S. You know I have never been political on my blog. If Mr. McCain had won the only thing different would've been the picture, but not the words.]

Soap of the Day

Lavender Goat's Milk All Natural

[I wish you could smell this picture!]

As my kids like to say "Aromatherapy in a bar."

Lavender is known for it's ability to soothe the mind, body and spirit.

Tune in tomorrow for lip balm and sandalwood soap .

Okay, Let's Make this Fun...

Spot says HEY!

And she asks "Did you vote?"

Notice she is looking at YOU?

She is saying:

"You better vote.

GO VOTE!"

So to make it a bit more interesting let's play -

Pick one of the following:

- Why did I delete my original blog?

- Who was my stalker? [Let's hope that stays past tense.]

- What has the past year been like for the SkippyFamily?

- Who is glad I finally posted a mug shot of myself? [weren't you all seriously wondering what I looked like?]

- Why does it say "I Make Soap"?

- Who is bored? [raise your hand!]

It will take me a while to get this up and running again as I did actually and completely delete my other blog [dedacted because Yvo is my bestest pal] and as you can tell it was probably due to a nasty little stalker. Now that we have that issue under control I thought I would come back to the blogger world and get back in touch with everyone.

There hasn't been a day that has gone by in the past year that I haven't said "Oh I need to blog about that!" or thought "Wow, I need to voice my opinion. Where's my blog?" Only to sigh and realize that, nope, no blog and no outlet.

I missed it.

I also missed all of my favorites. I will be doing my best to recreate my blogroll as it is so much easier to click from one's own blog to read your favorites then it is to type in the sites and surf from others [Hi Marni! I do this everyday!] Also I am getting tired of trying to remember how to spell "feisty" as in my pal Yvo's site who is awesome over at her two blogs. The link is to her restaurant reviews [do NOT go in there hungry, her pics are awesome - well except for the spinach - but you will be sorry if you read her blog on an empty stomach]. Check her profile for the bento boxes she creates. So delicious and inspiring!

Those lovely ladies are just a mere wisp of my total blogroll. If you come here and I don't have you listed just email me and I will make sure to add you. I also found a few new ones that make me laugh, think and feel creative. I cannot wait to share.

I will leave you with a quote, a tip and a picture for today:

QUOTE: "Love me when I least deserve it because that is when I most need it."

TIP: We only had two trick o' treaters. Hence I have 93 gazillion candy bars leftover. I chopped up 8 bite sized snickers bars and mixed them in a boxed, chocolate cake mix and made a bundt cake. Wow. That was good. Since you don't ice a bundt cake [we don't] the candy more than makes up for the missing calories ;)

The PICTURE posted up top - can anyone tell me how to post a picture somewhere else then at the top of a post? I either forgot or never had the ability. Yes, I know you know which one it is.

Cut this girl some slack, will you?

Yep. Skippy here and I am back.

Tomorrow: Recipe Wednesday and I will answer one of those questions posed above.