"But Mommy, I Can't Wait!"

Santa's Secret Shop is full of nic nacs, silly toys, plastic "junk" that is sure to eventually find it's way to the trash can, the rummage pile, or the bottom of the toy box. It's an opportunity for kiddos to give someone special to them a little something for Christmas. Sometimes, it gets wrapped, and makes it under the tree, to be opened on Christmas Day...

Sometimes they just can't wait...

And they're priceless treasures that will be put away in a special place to be remembered for years......

Gold butterfly ring, with two red stones, sure to turn my finger green in a matter of days....

Priceless.

Baby Got Some Pipes!!!

This past weekend we traveled north for 4 1/2 hours through a nasty snowstorm on a trip that usually takes 3 hours.

But I would have WALKED through said snowstorm to hear my baby girl sing...

The Joy In My Heart!

Peanut's comin' home today!! Tonight, she'll be sleeping HERE! And sleeping....and sleeping....and sleeping............



.......and like any normal college kid, she's bringing home mounds of laundry as well... *deep contented sigh* ...bring it on!

Another reason I am looking forward to this day is to see the joy on Boo's face! He misses his sister SO much and has been counting down the days for her to come home, "for 5 WHOLE nights!"

Blessings!
Happy Momma

Fall Into Flavor

I know I've failed miserably on Fall Into Flavor recently, but it's really REALLY hard to post butter, sinful, deliciousness when I'm DESPARATELY trying to watch every calorie that goes into my mouth! HAHA!

So I thought today, I'd post a recipe I recently found while searching for spinach dishes.....and this one has 3 different cheeses in it (actually it has 4 if you want to count the Parm on top!), so though not low-fat, there is NO butter! :) This would be a fantastic addition to a Thanksgiving feast!!

Baked Spinach with Three Cheeses

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup grated Edam cheese
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 (10-ounce) packages ready-to-use fresh baby spinach
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350*C (175*C). Lightly butter a 12-inch oval gratin pan or an 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
2. Mix onion, feta cheese, Edam cheese, blue cheese, dill, nutmeg, bread crumbs, egg yolk and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and saute until wilted and juices evaporate, about 3 minutes. Transfer to strainer; drain well. Shake strainer up and down to remove as much liquid as possible.
4. Arrange spinach in prepared baking dish. It will make a thin layer. Top with onion mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.
5. Heat broiler. Broil spinach, about 6 inches from broiler element, until cheese is golden brown on top, watching closely to prevent burning, about 2 minutes.
6. Serve warm or hot.

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Times!

I am so very blessed to have such great friends in my life. Connie is one of those precious people in my life that I am blessed to call friend. And I got to spend my day with her today!

We shopped for sassy duds we want our Hubba Hubba Hubbys to buy for us for Christmas!



We ate at the WONDERFUL Hollyhock Hill Restaurant.





And we played with the settings on my camera and took cool, random pictures!





A WONDERFUL day! I highly recommend a girl's day like we had today!

QUITCHERBELLYACHIN!!

How do you politely, yet firmly, inform your new neighbors, who live but mere feet from your doorstep, to please, PLEASE stop the madness?!?! I don't think they realized that there was a time change this weekend...because instead of screaming at each other, at the TOP of their lungs, while going in and out the doors at 6:30am, yesterday morning we were subject to the human alarm clocks at 5:30am.

I'm really, REALLY tryin' to be patient...........and pray....I DO pray for them....

Punkin Fun!

It's been YEARS since I've carved a pumpkin. But I'm really glad we did this year...the roasted pumpkin seeds are FABULOUS!