Yesterday, my husband and his friend Mark put up our Christmas tree. It sat there until the kids got home so the 4 of us could place all the ornaments on. Of course nothing went smoothly and a couple of ornaments got broken but nothing some glue couldn’t fix.
The stockings have been hung. And yes, I LOVE SNOWMEN! Everyone has a snowman stocking that I have collected over the years.
So i guess I am finally in the Christmas Spirit!!
Joy to the World!
Last night I put together my labels and it looks like I have 90 holiday cards to mail out! Let the envelope sealing begin!
This is always the time to reflect on what you are thankful for, but when you sometimes get family all jammed together for festivities like Thanksgiving it can be a little stressful. And with that patience tend to run thin, tongues wag and say things that sting, but stress can do that to you. So hopefully we can be more mindful of our feelings and move beyond the cattiness and truly be thankful for everything and everyone we have in our lives.
My family and I have driven to the Bay Area which is a typical 4 hour drive. But we stopped to go hiking after an hour in the car… to none other than to scout out a new camping place, of course.
Yes, my daughter wanted a “Frozen” Birthday like every other girl this year. I was informed of this decision about 6 months ago and have been working on this “project” for a couple of months now.
I held the party outside, but of course I stressed over it for a couple of weeks because I wasn’t sure if it was going to rain or snow especially since I had no idea how I would have 30+ kids and a bunch of adults in my little house if it did rain/snow.
But the weather held up nicely at 55º up until the last hour of our party — and then it started turning cold and breezy — a literal “Frozen” Party, LOL.
I used snowflake table clothes including and couple of Arendelle themed plastic table clothes for a couple of my little tables. I also decorated with Frozen themed helium balloons on the tables.
I wanted to make Glitter Slime for my daughter’s party on Saturday – to give the kids some extra things to play with. And what better fun than playing with slime! I do however recommend playing around with water/Borax ratio until you find the consistency you prefer. The more Borax you use the stiffer the slime will get.
I asked my oldest son what he wrote at school and he said, “I like volcanos”
Thank God, I thought my 5 yr old had a drinking problem!
So my kid’s school had been practicing the official state song for the state of Nevada to be sung this past Thursday in their gymnasium. All the schools in Nevada were to sing this song around NV at exactly the same time of 10am to try and get into the the guinness book of world records. And all they had to do was send in a digital video copy of the students singing with the time stamp of 10am. Unfortunately, there was a camera failure on CCMES’s part and the students singing was never recorded… however, I was recording my own video just because that is what I do — you know cause I have that dang Art degree from SJSU and all, LOL. So guess who saved the day according to Mrs Jackson?? Yeah this mama…
Here is the song….
Home Means Nevada
Written & Music by Bertha Raffetto
Way out in the land of the setting sun,
Where the wind blows wild and free,
There’s a lovely spot, just the only one
That means home sweet home to me.
If you follow the old Kit Carson trail,
Until desert meets the hills,
Oh you certainly will agree with me,
It’s the place of a thousand thrills.
Home means Nevada
Home means the hills,
Home means the sage and the pine.
Out by the Truckee, silvery rills,
Out where the sun always shines,
Here is the land which I love the best,
Fairer than all I can see.
Deep in the heart of the golden west
Home means Nevada to me.
Whenever the sun at the close of day,
Colors all the western sky,
Oh my heart returns to the desert grey
And the mountains tow’ring high.
Where the moon beams play in shadowed glen,
With the spotted fawn and doe,
All the live long night until morning light,
Is the loveliest place I know.
Home means Nevada
Home means the hills,
Home means the sage and the pines.
Out by the Truckee’s silvery rills,
Out where the sun always shines,
There is the land that I love the best,
Fairer than all I can see.
Right in the heart of the golden west
On Hallow’s Eve we carve pumpkins… however, my daughter opened her pumpkin up and a massive amount of the seeds inside had sprouted!! A halloween surprise! Unfortunately, we can’t roast up the seeds now.
And the finished masterpieces…. I think we are ready for halloween!
Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
This week has been crazy and it is only Wednesday! I have been swamped with chores galore. I volunteer at my kids school on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I still have laundry on the couch that needs to be folded and dishes in the sink from making halloween party treats for my kids classes. And then, my kids have friday off since it is “Nevada Day.”
Since Nevada became a state (admitted to the Union) on October 31, 1864, and since legislature wanted to celebrate Nevada Day on the “last” Friday in October… Nevada Day falls on the “actual” Oct 31st – therefore my kids do not have school on Halloween this year.
But Nevada day is a big too do this year since the state is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Nevada’s statehood. Thousands come out to the state capital to watch the parade and celebrate. But it is more than just a parade, it is Nevada’s Heritage Celebration, a gathering of community spirit and a salute our state’s past while looking ahead to our state’s future.
Because there isn’t any school on halloween this year, my kids school parties and dress up fall on Thursday (tomorrow) instead.
Gluten Free Brownies
Having three kids in school – Pre-school, Kindergarten and 2nd Grade… I find myself having to make several food offerings.
My daughter’s class said they are having a breakfast party — so I will be making two dozen Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting and since it is Halloween, I will throw a few candy corns on top.
My youngest’s class I have to make brownies (Gluten Free of course) to bring in. Not certain if I will top those off with anything. But the Hershey’s Chocolate Spread keeps popping in to my head as a great topper even though I had already put white chocolate chips into the batter. I don’t buy Nutella since my husband and I are allergic to hazelnuts and the Hershey’s Spread are basically similar but one of their flavors is made with almonds instead of hazelnuts. So win!
And then I really got off easy for my older son’s class. Since he can’t partake in having the regular cupcakes all I have to bring in is a Gluten Free Cupcake for him. Score! One less thing for me to make. What I normally do is make a batch of gluten free cupcakes, freeze them in a ziploc bag — and pull them out when needed for a class function — thaw them out over night then all I need to do is frost it right before the kids head off to school. Life is so much simpler that way!
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcake
Have you been tested for Celiac Disease, or Gluten Intolerance? The ALCAT testing for food allergies, sensitivities and intolerance can help you achieve balance for your body.
My husband, kids and I did the ALCAT in August of 2013 and got our results back that we were gluten intolerant. Since then we have been gluten free.
For more information check out ALCAT’s website at: https://www.alcat.com
Or Find an ALCAT Testing Doctor in Your Area: Call: 1-800-872-5228 to find a doctor in your area. Or click here.
Small Town Living in Maryland 