Wordless Wednesday

An Experiment

Over Christmas weekend, Hubs and I committed to going on a 5 day cruise with my parents, my younger brother, and his best friend.  I use the word committed because that is what it is for us.  You see, Hubs and I are used to being by ourselves.  We almost always travel by ourselves and find that we enjoy doing what we want - when we want.  There are only two of us so we can do what each person wants.  Anyway, we feel that a cruise is the best way for all 6 of us to do what we want - spend time together, alone, I can read for hours on end while my mom visits the casino, etc.  It's a giant floating playground where we can all find happiness.

So our experiment is not whether or not I will commit a crime against one of my family members on this 5 day vacation but rather can we pay for our complete vacation without touching our regular budget or emergency savings account?  Is this possible? YES!  I can look back at my online banking and see time after time when we wasted money, overspent, etc. 

For the next 8 months, I hope to document our shopping and random expenditures to show how easy it is (hopefully) to be budget conscience. 

Our White Christmas

  Our Christmas celebrations started on the Sunday before with a dinner and ornament exchange with friends.  I didn't take many pictures but I did get one with our favorite little boy and Hubs. 

For Christmas Eve with my family, we usually do a themed dinner (almost always mexican).  I offered to make homemade chinese food.  It turned out execellent if I do say so myself!

 Hubs favorite dish!  Chinese Chicken Salad.  Amazing.

My own stir fry experiment. It is a variation on General Tso's.  Turned out really good!
Never underestimate the power of ginger, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.

Of course we had fried rice.  A TON of it!

And lastly, EGGROLLS!  I did not make these homemade due to time but aren't they pretty!?!

When we arrived at my parents' house early Christmas morning, they were watching home videos of Christmases past.  This video is from 1991 - one of several holidays we had in California - shows my mom and brother (only 3 at the time) opening presents on Christmas Eve from our family in Alabama.

Later in the morning at my in-laws house, the rain/snow mess started but we (me and the 9yr old) were ecstatic when we realized the rain stopped and it was all snow and it was sticking to the porch and yard.
Even the puppy, Merlin, got in on the action.  He LOVED eating snowballs.

Hubs wanted a snow picture.

Lovely White Christmas.

My First Menu Plan Monday

I love reading orgjunkie.com's blog...especially the Menu Plan Monday.  Hubs and I get burnt out on dinner ideas very quickly.  We love to try to recipes (when time allows) and we are always looking for inspiration.  I love the links on MPM and definitely get a lot of dinner ideas.  So, I thought I would join the crew and post my own Menu Plan!

Monday - Homemade Pizza and Salad

Tuesday - Homemade Hamburgers, Veggie (probably green beans), and salad

Wednesday - Baked Chicken, Green Beans, Purple Hull Peas, and Rice

Thursday - Breafkast with Hubs' new Belgian Waffle Maker

Friday - New Year's Eve!  Finger Food Dinner with Friends

 

New Spicy Chicken Biscuit at Chick-fil-A

Have you heard that in addition to the spicy chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A is about to introduce the spicy chicken biscuit?  My husband loves the spicy chicken sandwich and gets it everytime (at least once a week on his lunch break).  I knew he would be excited to hear about this new spicy biscuit. 

To introduce everyone to this new addition, Chick-fil-A is offering free biscuits January 3-8!  How great is that?!?  All you have to do is visit their website and reserve your biscuit at your preferred location!!  We are getting ours next Wednesday!

Worth a Thousand Words

More from our family Christmas dinner later...

My Father's Mother

 This is my father's mother.

Her name was Radie Mae.

She was very German.

She passed away when my dad was 17 years old.

I have never known what to call her - Grandmother, Granny, Dad's Mom, etc.

 

My grandmother was a pretty special woman.  She was almost finished raising 4 children when my dad was born.  She was in her early 40's - which was very rare in the 1950s.  She was also fighting breast cancer at that time.  The youngest of the four children was 15 when my dad was born.  The oldest grandchild (daughter of the oldest child) was born 3 years after my dad.  Today, the oldest grandchild is 51 years old and the youngest grandchild is 22 years old (my brother).  I am the second youngest.

 I really don't know a large amount about my grandmother.  I don't exactly know where she was from and I don't know her birthday.  I know that her father was German.  His name was Emil.  I know that she was a pretty amazing cook.  To this day, no one can replicate her dishes including her coconut cake (although my dad says my mom is the best since).  She created an soup called Cowboy Stew that my dad always made for our family.  I make this same dish for Hubs and I. 

Like I said, my grandmother passed away when my dad was only seventeen.  I could not imagine.  She left behind her husband of 40 (or so) years, two daughters, three sons, two son-in-laws, two daughter-in-laws, and 10 grandchildren.  I do wish I could have met her.

 Radie Mae and James Kennedy

My dad with his parents.