I do my best work in Pajammas

Years ago, many, seriously, many years ago, I sold Mary Kay cosmetics.  Didn't do too bad all things considered, but I couldn't have supported myself on it.  I sold mainly to get the products for myself at cost.  Anyway, I remember attending a seminar when I first started selling that supposedly would help me be successful in my new endeavor.  The speaker said we would be more successful if we got up each morning, got dressed in a nice outfit, and did our hair and makeup before making our calls (cold calls that is...telemarketing,,,,,,ick).  She said we would be more successful because we would feel successful and it would be projected through our voice into the phone.  I don't know how true that is.  I tried it both ways and never saw much of a difference.  Could have been though the reason for that was my less than enthusiastic view of cold calls.

Anyhoo, one thing I have noticed about  myself over the years; I get more accomplished in PJ's.  Yesterday I started putting Christmas decorations away in my PJ's and robe.  Started nothin, I put decorations away in my PJ's.  I didn't change until well into the afternoon.  I have cleaned my entire house in my jammies.  I have canned quarts of produce in my jammies, I have painted rooms in the house....in my jammies.  I have sewn complete outfits ...in my jammies.  Are you seeing a picture developing here?  I know, sorry if I am generating a visual of me in jammies.  Can't be helped.   I am a person who once started on a task can't be distracted by a little thing such as changing ones clothes.  I am also a person who once I decide to start, I start.  It's what I do,  It's who I am, and it has served me well all these years.

No real point to this conversation.  Just sharing one of the things that makes me me.  I am sure I am not the only PJ ensconced Productive Diva.  Anyone else want to fess up?

Another Christmas has past and a New year's on the way!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.  I know I haven't had time to do much on here other than a recipe, but I thought about it......does that count?  Our Christmas was great.  First of all I got to have an old fashioned Christmas with my parents, my younger brother and my sister.  Just us.  We had a blast just talking and...well eating way too much.   My sister and I got to share a guest room and we stayed up til nearly 3 in the morning talking.  Apparently loud enough for my Dad to say "Don't make me come in there(Smile).  We exchanged small gifts with our parents and with each other with one exception,  My wonderful sister blessed me with.......A SERGER!!!!  That was a surprise.  Now I have no excuse for not sewing.  The family get together was the next day filled with more "less than stellar"food choices and a White Elephant type game for gifts.  Carols were sung, my Dad, not realizing it wasn't a Santa hat, sported a goofy looking elf type hat.  His first clue to it  not being a Santa Hat should have been everybody taking out their camera for a shot.  Well except me cause I was sitting next to him so didn't realize it until later.  Guess it should have been my first clue too huh?  Our own family Christmas was full of all the traditions we have held each year; Pj's on Christmas Eve, Watching "A Christmas Story" and now "A Christmas Carol".  Plenty of bad food choices there as well.  Our Christmas day was a laid back affair with just us. We opened presents, had a breakfast of Gorilla Bread, Egg custard pie, Sausage cheese balls, Sausage croissants, OJ, Coffee, and Hot Chocolate.  We snacked on that through out the day,  By Friday morning we were like Ughh, I will just have a yogurt please////and water.....just water.   Yea.  Seriously.  We are ready to get back on a healthier heating routine.


So as of today my Christmas Decor is neatly (ummm  yea) packed away.  I don't like looking at decorations past Christmas Day because it makes me sad.  Plus I put my decorations up Thanksgiving week so by Christmas I am ready to pack them up and move on.  I am proud of the fact that I managed to consolidate my decorations into many fewer boxes by getting rid of the packaging of some of the decorations.  They are all wrapped and packed away to avoid any breaking.  Plus I invested a few dollars and bought 3 ornament storage containers.  I only needed to use 2 for ornaments, lights, etc.  The last one I discovered was perfect for storing gift wrap stuff.  So now all my gift wrapping paraphernalia is in one neatly arranged container and in my closet.  While putting decorations away, we had to find new placement for some gorilla shelves and a desk from Rubic's room.  He had received some new black shelves for Christmas and no longer needed those things.  Low and behold the desk fit perfectly next to my sewing desk.  This allowed me to take my serger out and leave it up for any time I sew.

Now putting all the stuff away and putting the normally used home decor out only took about 8 hours.  DH helped putting stuff away and the young men of the family were there for heavy lifting.  So since I had the stuff put away I went out to the garden and harvested what I have of cabbage.  I am sad to say my cabbages did not do as well as I had hoped.  I guess I have about 10 lbs.  Nothing to write home about, but I am going to make sauerkraut none the less.  I am hoping the cooler temps in the house will help make what kraut I make successful.  I have to say a fall garden did not do well so I am planning on just having my spring/summer garden.  There is too much to do in the fall to be worrying over garden plants.  Especially for so little in return.  So as each summer plant is done, I will be putting that area to bed for the fall.  Especially tomatoes.....Especially cherry tomatos!

So that is all for now.  Enjoy some pics of our Christmas !

Yep! Just successfully made vegetarian Sausage cheese balls.

 Motivated by the need for my vegetarian son to have more on Christmas morning than Gorilla bread, I tried another experiment. The results were great. Not a good as the real thing, but good none the less. Here is the recipe:

Homemade Biscuit mix (this can be used where ever Bisquik is called for)

5 cups self rising flour
3 TBS sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup dry milk

Mix flour and sugar together. Cut in the shortening til mix is crumbly. Stir in dry milk

The "Sausage"

1 Pkg of Boca Crumbles, thawed
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp cayane
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 salt
1/4 black pepper

mix all together then add to the bisquik mix. To make up the rest of the recipe, add 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 2/3 cup milk. Fold milk into the mix/sausage/cheese mixture to incorporate it. If you need a little more milk add it a little at a time. Let sit for about 1 hour to let flavors meld. Shape into balls and bake 375 for 15-20 min.

Well you're stuck with me for the duration sooooo Get over it!!!!!

Went into work this morning thinking there was a chance I would be going full time.  The family had discussed this possibility and was on board.  I have to say the thought of more money was nice, but seriously I figured it would mostly go to my Uncle Sam (the mooch).  Though some would stay with us.  I was concerned though that it would limit my abilities to blog, garden, sew, can, etc.  But, as it is, I am still part time.  There may be a time when I go full time, but that is not the case now.

Not too disappointed cause my part time status enables me to continue to regal you with my antics, crazy ideas, recipes, etc.  So get prepared.  I am sure the future holds some crazy ideas that will take a hold.

Today the Perfect day

Well aside from the rain, but in reality it gives the day a homey, cozy feel.  Wednesday was a day off so I spent it cleaning like a crazy person.  No one else was here and so there were no interruptions.  I was able to finish my Christmas Decorations and get things caught up.  Upkeep for the past two days has been relatively simple and my oldest son took care of that yesterday.  This morning the men of the house joined in finishing up the rest of the house management.  While I could have forced the issue, I was overjoyed to see it happen with nary a complaint and they did a great job.  I finished up the ironing and baked a cake.  It is a wonderful feeling to be caught up, but the best part was the great attitude.  Once done with the ironing it was a long phone conversation with my mom while the guys did their own thing.  After the phone call I literally looked around for something needing to be done, but to no avail.  What I did notice was the peace.  The smell of chocolate from the cake and Hazelnut from a candle in my sons room permeated the house.  The lights of both trees sparkled brightly dispelling the gloominess of the cloudy day.  I couldn't help but turn on Christmas music and just savor this time in life.

We are, I am blessed beyond measure.   While I may not have all I want, I have all I need.  Time is so fleeting.  My boys are grown men now.  Living here while finishing up their education, the time will come when they will move on to start their own lives.  My daughter has preceded them by a few years and has added to my life another son in my son in law and two grandsons..  She has her own life and traditions and that is the way of things.  I couldn't be more proud of my children.  Each is different and adds another dimension to  my life.  Each day with my children, my family, my parents, my husband, is precious.  Once missed it can't be regained.  It is a gift.  So I will savor this moment in time.  There will come a day when DH and I will look back and remember when, but for now; I have today.  And it's perfect.

Get it together people! Really!

Every year the stores advertize for Black Friday, offering crazy deals on the lastest craze, but only while supplies last. Every year we are treated to crazy, rude, and sometimes violent people as a back drop to start the Christmas season.  The Christmas season.....a time to remember the greatest gift given, a time of peace, good will toward men.  This year seems particularly egregious because, instead of at least taking a break from the mayhem to be grateful for what we have, the Black Friday maddness started even on Thanksgiving.  It's sad really.  Part of the blame I am sure, lays with the store purposely dangling the carrot before the public to turn us into crazed animals intent only on obtaining "the prize".  You know who else gets the blame?  We do.  A public that willingly succumbs to the stores taunts and throws our better selves away for one more.....thing, gadget, trinket. 

Now don't get me wrong.  Not everyone acts like apes.  I will concede that point, but more and more we are becoming a comsumerist society; basing our status on what we have rather than who we are.  I will confess I look at the ads to see if there is anything to tempt me to venture forth, but more often than not I stay home.  Long ago, before it got too crazy out there, I would go out for the Black Friday shopping.  Then it was fun.  You would wait in line, striking up a conversation with others around you.  Sometimes ads would get passed around so everyone could get one more look.  The doors would open and we would pour in, but rather than trample each other to get to something, we were allies, helping each other get what we wanted for Christmas.  Fast forward some years, and I am dissappointed in what it has become.  For that reason I opted out of Black Friday shopping at the store a few years ago.  I opted out of Thanksgiving shopping all together.  I started some of my Christmas shopping in my Pj's with a cup of coffee at a reasonable hour this morning and then proceeded to put on Christmas music and decorate my house for Christmas.  You know what?  I still got good deals on gifts for Christmas.  I am happy to have started my Christmas shopping (with a budget of course). 

Is there a way we can get back to what Christmas really means and get that special gift for a loved one and do it on a budget?  Yes,  and it doesn't take the government passing a law.  Stand your ground and don't fall for the hype and craziness ginned up by stores.  The great thing about a Free Market is we dictate which direction it goes.  If we willingly throw Thanksgiving away, and make a mad dash for the latest new thing, then they will give us exactly what we want.  But if we stay home on Thanksgiving and treat each other with courtesy and kindness then they will accommodate that as well.  No item purchased at a store is worth the behavior seen on Black Friday.  No excuses. 

Okay, I will give my soap box back now.

WEEEEEEEeeeeeee

I know, seriously sound like I am on a swing set, but no, I am just excited.  Why do you ask?   Well let me tell ya!  We are now the owners of two, count'em two laptops!  I just don't know what to do with myself.  We have never had two pieces of technology at a time.  I mean seriously we still own a VCR.  We don't use it much, but it works and we have movies on VHS to play when the urge hits(not often).  We have a DVD player and hubby just bought a refurbished PS3 about the time the PS4 is coming out.  That's it, but now we have two lap tops.  Wow, two.  Amazing. 

So what happened?

Well I took our broken laptop down to my Mom and Dads for our Thanksgiving get together.  My dad worked on it forever. getting rid of viruses, etc.  It started to feel somewhat better.  We could at least operate it.  Still it was bogged down.  Then my nephew showed up.  My Dad grabbed him and he went to look at it.  Before dinner (Thank you very much Nephew).  I asked my nephew if he was my defender.  His response was that this wasn't defending it was more like the flailing around right before you die.  You see I had gotten a really nasty virus that even deleted, would just pop up somewhere else, under another program.  In addition to that it was inviting other friends over to play.  My poor computer was using every ounce of strength it had to just come on.  The battery was draining and we thought it was bad.  Since repaired the battery holds its charge fine.  I felt bad because all of the work my Dad did ended up being wasted because my nephew had to restore the computer back to factory settings.  It wiped everything. but also the virus.  He then reformated it for me.  Now this computer runs like new.  I am typing this post on my previously hospitalized computer.  And guys, it is true that more than likely the virus came thru on a Microsoft update.  Don't let your computer automatically update.  And be careful what you download.  We thought we were being careful and had done everything right.  Nope.  You can't be too careful. 

 So we have two "new" computers.  I had to go thru and change all of my passwords on just about every webpage.  I strengthend them as well.  I should have done that before.  I had on some pages, but now it is on every page.  I want to say a heart felt "Thank you" to both my Dad and my Nephew.  In exchange for his help, my nephew charged me 1lb of toffee, 1 chicken once butchered etc, and I have to say " he is awesome".  Easy payment plan I must say.  He is Awesome! A little more pricey than Daddy.  Daddy just wants hugs.  I got plenty of them.....especially for my Dad.