Waiting for Christmas.....

The Christmas tree is up!!!

We usually get ours on the 1st of December, but Sunday which was the 30th of November, the local tree lot had them up, and you know me, I am so eager to get my tree every year that I just couldn't wait.

We got a beautiful real tree, it's something we love doing and I just can't imagine Christmas without the real scent of pine.

I wanted to come in and not only give you a little peek, but also to thank you all so much for the excitement you've created over my Blogmas 2014.

I never in a million years imagined that anyone other than myself, would be interested in doing this Blogmas thing, so I'm thrilled to see such a wonderful response.  Thank you again :)

Oh, I haven't forgotten about your scarves, I just haven't made it to the post office.  It's quite hard at the moment as we only have my car working, my husband's truck needs new brakes and until we get those replaced we only have my vehicle between us both.  With him going to school 3 times a week and then working the other 2 days, I am often left at his mercy, which means I have to shift my things around to when I can get the car.

Thursday I am going to be running errands all day, and the very first one on my list is the Post Office for the scarves and some Christmas cards.

Right, now, on to a tiny peek....I will show a lot more when the Tree Reveal and Decoration Reveal comes up on the 15th and 16th of December.

Are you completely ready for Christmas?  Are all your decorations and your tree up? 

Blogmas 2014 - Day 2 What Christmas means to me.

Growing up, I can honestly say that to me Christmas was all about the presents.  The one day in the year that I knew I would be looking at a Christmas tree surrounded by what seemed like a sea of gifts, and some of them were mine. 

As I grew older, I became wiser and really started thinking about what this day was about, and I won't lie and say that I still didn't enjoy the presents, but it definitely became more. 

I'm a Christian and so for me, Christmas means so much.  It is the day my saviour was born, the day that changed everything.

It is also a day about family and sharing and caring and enjoying each others company.

 Many many many years ago.  My grandfather was a guitar player for one of the biggest Fado singers in Portugal.  Here he is at one Christmas with us in Portugal.  That is my brother Miguel on the bottom left, my brother Paulo, my brother Bruno and me in the background.

I grew up in a very big family, we are Portuguese and get togethers meant a lot of people sitting around the table.  At one point there were 15 of us, so you can just imagine that tree.  I still remember one particular picture we took where my niece was a tiny baby, and we had put her between the presents.  She looked so tiny in that sea of wrapping paper.

All the family was there, my grandparents and uncles and aunts and brothers and dad and stepmom and greatgrandmother.  So much love in one single room.

But as the years have gone by, the family has gotten smaller as some have since then passed on, and it's never been the same.  I miss the big family Christmas days, the loud noise, the voices talking excitedly, the mad dash to wrap that last one or two presents and get them under the tree, the little kids running around playing or sitting by the tree counting down the minutes.

Though a lot has changed, for me, a lot has stayed the same.  I try very hard to stay focused on what the season is really about and not to get caught up in the monetary side of things. 

It is NOT about the biggest and most presents you give or get.  It is NOT about the amount of food you have at the table and it's not even about when you open the presents.......it is about remembering the beautiful little baby that was born in a manger and what he signifies for me.

And it is also about the time I spend with my family, enjoying every minute and making each moment count. 

That is what Christmas means to me!!!

In the Kitchen

Welcome to my kitchen!!!

I developed a love for cooking at a very early age.  My great grandmother, grandmother and stepmother were the most influential women in my life, especially when it came to homemaking and cooking

We always had a very big family and dinner around the table would usually involve up to 15 people at a time, every night.  The meal preparation usually fell to my great grandmother as she loved cooking and taking care of the family as much as I do.

I grew up surrounded by a big family, by hearty home cooked meals, and a love for the family that can only be described as unconditional.

If you ever visit my home and wonder where I am, bets are, in the kitchen whipping something up.

There is such an amazing feeling that takes over when I'm able to put on the table a comforting meal for my family, and watching them enjoy it is reward enough for the time I put in.

In this section of my blog, you will find recipes for some of the meals I make for my family.  I will never post something that I don't enjoy, or something that is expensive to make or uses gourmet ingredients.

I'm a easy, out of the pantry, cook with what you have on hand, everything from scratch, kinda girl and I hope you find something here that will catch your eye and please your family :)


QUICK AND EASY MEALS

Macho Nachos


ASIAN INSPIRED

Thai Peanut Beef


PASTA

Creamy Beef Noodle Bake

Blogmas 2014 - Day 1 Favorite Christmas Tradition

Hello everyone, welcome to Blogmas 2014!!

I don't know about you, but I am so excited to get this going and to see what everyone will be sharing during the month of December and leading up to the big day.

1st of December, the kick off of our Blogmas 2014.  If you want to join in and are curious about the categories and what exactly this is all about, be sure to read my Blogmas post.

 Since today is the first day, we are kicking it off with our Favorite Christmas Traditions.  These could be something you do as a family, something you did in your childhood, or even something you would love to start doing.

Let's get going......

 

My favorite Christmas traditions.

Growing up, we always celebrated Christmas on the 24th, that was our big day, and the 25th was a day for eating leftovers, enjoying the presents we received and just plain relaxing.  We didn't even do a big dinner or lunch or anything.

As I've grown up and gotten married and started a family, I kept that same tradition but have also incorporated some of our own.

When the kids were little, every Christmas Eve we would make Reindeer Food and then go outside to sprinkle it on the front lawn, that way Santa's Reindeer knew exactly where to stop and also enjoyed a little snack to give them strength to continue on with their very busy night.

We stopped doing that a few years ago because the kids are now 15 and 11 and weren't interested in that anymore.

Another tradition of ours is that every December 1st, we go out and get our tree.  When we lived in Portugal we always had real trees, and my brothers and I looked forward to going to get one and then bringing it into the house and decorating, it was something that stayed with us all these years.

Once we moved to South Africa, it wasn't that easy to find real ones, and so we started using the artificial trees but it just never felt the same to me, and I dreamed about the day I could get a real one again.

The first few years of marriage we used artificial trees too, we couldn't afford to get a real one but again, that dream always remained.

A few years ago, I decided that it was time to switch back to the real one and my dream came true.  Since then, we always get a real tree.  I can't really describe the feeling of seeing it in the living room all decorated and lights blinking, with the wonderful scent of pine wafting through the air.

Another tradition is for me to make either Monkey Bread or Cinnamon Rolls on Christmas morning.

The big night however, like I said above, is Christmas Eve.  I don't make a big dinner, I make a bunch of small things, tons of Portuguese goodies, and we just sit around the table and chat and snack throughout the night.  Once the night is over, I place a big tablecloth over it all and then the next day we just go in there, lift it up and snack all day long.  Love it, it's something we did as children and something we still enjoy to this day.

Since I'm Portuguese and my husband and children are American, we try to do a bit of both.  We open most of the presents on the 24th, but then we also open some on Christmas morning, and the whole stocking thing?  We never had that growing up, but it's something we do now because my husband always had his when he was younger.

Lastly, I actually came in to add this one because it completely slipped my mind earlier, but we have the kids pick an ornament every year for the tree, and by that I mean a new ornament.  My plan is to give them all their ornaments one day when they go off on their own, so that they will have a little piece of home when they decorate their own trees.

So, not too many Christmas traditions, but I think enough to make this season special!

If you have little ones and would like to try the Reindeer Food, I am leaving you the recipe we used below, along with some cute little printables.  Enjoy :)




1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup red or green sugar crystals (as used for cake decorating)

Be sure to take this magic food and sprinkle on the lawn,
On Christmas, Santa's reindeer travel miles before the dawn.
The smell of oats and glitter path will guide them on their way
And you'll wake up to Santa's gifts next morn on Christmas Day!



So what are YOUR traditions?

Buttons for every day.....feel free to use!

Happy Homemaker Monday - 12/01/2014

Happy December!!!!

I am a little shocked that we are already at the end of the year, it seems it was just January.  Goodness!

I had a good weekend, a bit busy, but in a good way.  Hope you all had one too, and I mean good weekend not busy because after all, weekends are for relaxing right?

Well let's get going with our first Happy Homemaker Monday of December.  You up for it? 

The weather outside is::::

Cold and dreary.  32 degrees, cloudy and with a little rain in the forecast.  I say it's perfect weather for staying indoors by the Christmas tree.     

On the breakfast plate this morning::::

Just had a Krispy Kreme donut which I haven't had in years.  They taste just as good as I remember them and I'm thinking I shouldn't go so long without having another.  HA!  Also drinking some coffee with Vanilla Caramel creamer. 

As I look outside my window:::

The sky is a dark grey and it looks a little foggy too, I can't even see the mountain in the distance.  There are a few birds flying from one tree to the other across the street, happily chirping away.   

Right now I am::::

In the living room, relaxing on the couch, my Christmas tree is on and I'm enjoying the lights and the wonderful scent of pine.  

As I look around the house::::

It needs some TLC today, there are a few boxes in the living room from the tree decorations, I need to move those to the garage.  My Nicholas always throws his socks on the living room floor too, it drives me insane.  The kitchen needs some tidying too, but for the most part, it is not that bad.  I am loving the living room with the tree lit, looks so cosy :)

On today's to do list::::

Laundry....Have two loads to wash and one to take out of the dryer.
Cleaning....In the kitchen, Unload the dishwasher and reload with breakfast dishes, sweep and mop.  Clear off the counters.  Clean off the chalkboard with the Thanksgiving doodles. 
In the living room....Rug needs to be vacuumed again, will these pugs ever stop shedding?  Need to vacuum off the couches too where Miss Lola has been laying.  Ugh!   Dust....and tidy up.
In the bedrooms....make the beds, pick up and tidy up, open curtains and blinds and windows to let in some fresh air.  Vacuum.
In the bathrooms....usual, clean the toilets, sinks and mirrors.
Homeschooling....prepare the lessons, the girls are a little behind but it is expected with the high school work load. 
Crocheting....Working on a Christmas tree.
Cooking.....Not sure what we're having for lunch, I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow so I think sandwiches will be it.  Oh wait, I have Fish sticks, the kids like that, I will make some of those.  Dinner will be a Chicken Casserole using drumsticks, bacon and some veggies. 

Currently reading::::

Nothing at the moment, took a break from the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series. 

On the TV today::::

No clue, whatever I feel like watching.  Maybe a Christmas movie, maybe some crime series?

On the menu this week::::

Monday - Chicken Casserole
Tuesday -
Wednesday -
Thursday -
Friday -
Saturday -
Sunday -

Have to work on a menu plan today, so don't know what is on the menu for the next two weeks yet.

What I am creating at the moment::::

Christmas tree and not sure yet if I'll be doing something else for Christmas presents. 

New recipe I tried or want to try this week::::

Nothing new, just been cooking up family favorites.  I am hoping to try some new things the next few weeks.

Favorite photo from the camera::::

 
Prayers, Inspirational Quotes or Devotionals::::

Dear Lord, remind me daily that it's You I should rush to during the holiday hustle. Not things. Not activities. I want to seek and find only You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

PLEASE, don't add links to this list that are not part of the Happy Homemaker Monday. I've asked numerous times, and I'm frankly quite tired of having to remove links to other posts that shouldn't be in this list. Please be respectful of my request!