GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

It's the end of November and now the holidays are officially here.  If you have any children, a good way to get them involved is to have them help you decorate the inside and outside of your house for what ever holiday that you will be celebrating.

I have a daughter who is almost 13 years old and today after school we will be having a tree decorating party with her friends.  It is a good way to get the kids involved and they will have fun and won't feel like it is a chore.  I think this is a good idea because we have been doing this for a few years now and we all just have fun and the kids will remember this.  It's about making memories and traditions!

What I also like about decorating for the holidays is that you can make homemade decorations such as garland or ornaments.  If you start early than you can use them for that year, but you have to start in September or October, because if you wait to long then you won't have enough time to do everything else or use the decorations for that year.  To get good ideas you need to search online and to buy craft magazines.  When you make your own decorations it just makes the holidays more special.  So enjoy everyone and I hope you make some holiday decorations for your house!

I made this recipe in the crockpot and it tastes so good with crusty Italian bread.  This recipe is great to have on a cold winter evening for dinner or anytime of the year.



PASTA E FAGIOLI  - (Pasta & White Bean Soup)

Serves 8 people

1 lb. package dried navy beans
3 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. parsley
1 chicken- flavor bouillon cube
1 beef-flavored bouillon cube
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2-1 box ditalini pasta

In a crockpot add navy beans, olive oil, garlic, tomato sauce, parsley, chicken and beef bouillon cubes, salt, and pepper.  Next add water to top of crockpot and mix.  Set the crockpot on high for 6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.  When navy beans are soft and ready, bring 4-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add salt to taste, if desired.  Add contents of 1/2-1 box of ditalini pasta to boiling water and boil for 10 minutes.  Drain pasta and add to beans.  Sprinkle grated cheese on top.


Julie

The crochet group that I belong to we meet up each week at my parish church.  It is run by a nun named Sister Jean.  What we are all about is that we all knit and crochet for the poor or homeless and for hospitals that Sister Jean takes and gives out to them and also for our annual Christmas sale which we have every year!  Our group has about 15 women that belong.  Some women come every week and some just work from home every week.  We all love what we are making and doing.  I have belonged to the group for about 9 years now.

Two weeks ago I taught a women how to crochet the granny square because she said that she had forgotten how to crochet one because it was about 3 years and I gave the women a ball of yarn to work with.  Well we didn't meet up last week because of the holiday, but when I saw her today she had started that ball of yarn and continued the granny square into a big blanket.  I was so proud of what she had accomplished and she was so enthusiastic!

Today I started knitting hand warmers!  I love making hand warmers because they are fast and easy to make and you can always use hand warmers in the winter.  I love making all kinds of creations.  Going to the meetings keeps me inspired every week!

Staying organized is very important for the holidays.  You need to make lists and stick to doing what is on your list!

1- Making a list of people you need to shop for and take advantage of all of the sales out there by shopping in stores and online.

2- Have a plan for your Christmas card if you want to use a picture of your child/children or just buy nice cards that you want to get ready to send out.

3- Decorating inside and outside (if you live in a house).

4- Buying presents and wrapping them.

5- Making plans to see family and friends over the holidays.

If you stay organized, then you can sit back and enjoy the rest of the holidays!!

Today is Black Friday and everyone is in the stores shopping and trying to get the best deals and savings on their holiday shopping!  The stores are all busy and their are so many crowds of people shopping.  If you want to shop on a day like today the best thing to do is to have a plan of stores you want to visit and a list made up of everyone you need to buy for.  It is best to have all of your coupons ready also.

Another get way to shop is on the Internet because their are so many sales on line and they even have free shipping if you spend a certain amount of money.  I love online shopping because it is so easy and it gets sent right to your house and you don't need to go to any stores and wait on any lines.  I love to do both!  I love shopping in the stores with my coupons and I love shopping online.  Each year I always do both.  When I shop in a store it starts to get me in the holiday spirit!

It seems as though each year the stores start decorating and getting ready for Christmas earlier and earlier each year.  The same goes for people and their decorating of the inside and outsides of their houses!

So everyone get ready for your holiday shopping and try to have a good plan and stay organized!

Hi everyone and Happy Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful for my husband, daughter and my dog named Bosco, he is a corgi mix.  I am also thankful for my family and most importantly all of our friends.

Today we will be spending Thanksgiving at our friends house and each person is making and bring something to eat!  I am looking forward to spending time with our friends who happen to be our neighbors, eating and laughing because we always have fun and enjoy each other so much!

I am so proud of my daughter who is spending the day setting up and serving food to the less fortunate people who have no place to go.  She is at her school with all of her class mates doing community service!  I am so proud of her because she gladly wanted to do it.

So everyone enjoy today and Happy Thanksgiving!