I have decided to take the day off. I decided to be with my family instead of in front of the computer.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas
Posted by terrepruitt on December 25, 2014
Posted in Misc | Tagged: family, fire, Merry Crhristmas | 10 Comments »
Wrapping, Wreathing, And Blinging Ideas
Posted by terrepruitt on December 23, 2014
Wow! I am always amazed at other people’s creativity. Have you seen that video on how to make a bag? I know one of the reasons to buy a gift bag is because you don’t have to “wrap”. I mean there is no measuring, no cutting, no folding, and no taping. But sometimes the item you need to wrap is odd-shaped or you can’t find the right sized bag. I have been running into the issue that if the bag is tall enough it is not deep enough. It is almost as if they think anything tall is just a picture frame. Well, the Meredith Show had on a woman who shows how to make the perfect sized bag in a few minutes. I am all done with my wrapping so I thought I would forget about this video by the time next year comes around, but then I realized I am NOT done with posting for this year. I thought I might as well post it now because that will help me remember for next year. Or ANYTIME during the year I have an odd-shaped gift to wrap. Right? This trick does not have to be reserved for Christmas. (Click the pic to go to the video.)
Then I just saw a video where a woman named AJ made a wreath using round ornaments. I LOVE those types of wreaths! I didn’t listen to the video. I also didn’t watch the entire thing . . . I scanned through it quickly. She made a huge wreath. And it was soooo pretty. I really, really love those. I had wanted one for a long time, so eventually I bought one a long time ago. It is plastic though. Probably better for storing. Not sure if AJ used plastic ornaments. I did listen to the first few seconds where she said she bought Dollar Store ornaments (which is see now is the title of the video). Another brilliant thing! So AJ has a craft room and she made a video of how to make a wreath with a wire hanger and round Christmas Tree Ornaments. Thanks, AJ! (Click the pic to go to the video.)
While I was on YouTube looking at AJ’s video, I spotted Cyinthialoowho’s ornament. And I wanted to see how she made that blingy thing. Well, I didn’t spend the 15 minutes it takes to watch the video. I scanned through it again. I kind of like it just with the string and the paint. Any version of this ornament I like. I love ornaments like this and they are very expensive. I am not sure that all of the stuff to make it would cost less, but I might just check it out. (Click the pic to go to the video.)
So I have a few ideas that I LOVE, that I wanted to document. The bag from wrapping paper does not have to be just for Christmas. The wreath . . . . well, I love the idea, but not sure who I could give one to. And the ornaments, I would have to start early so, hence a good reason for me to post NOW. So I can have it at the ready for next year.
Thank you Meredith, AJ, and Cynthialoowho for your ideas.
In my last post I asked for your ideas. What have you got? Do you make homemade ornaments or wrapping paper? Do you make wreaths?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: AJ's Craft Room, Birthday gift wrapping, Christams ornament wreath, Christmas wrapping, Cyinthialoowho, Gift bag, homemade ornaments, Meredith Vieira Show make a bag, ornament, Sprakling ornaments, wrapping hard to wrap gifts, wreath, Youtube | 2 Comments »
Treat For The Eyes Not The Belly
Posted by terrepruitt on December 20, 2014
Some of you may still think, I’ve got nothing. You may or may not know I spend a lot of time decorating for Christmas. I LOVE all the decorations. It is the one time of year where you can have glitter and sparkle everywhere and people don’t judge you even though you have your hand on the doorknob of 50! My friend always laughs at me and says, “Everywhere you look there is Christmas.” And that is truly my goal. I don’t have a beautiful Sunset Magazine set up, I just have CHRISTMAS EVERYWHERE. I want your gaze to land on decorations. So that’s what I do. This is the one time of year where my house is always clean. I don’t like the dull of dust to damping the sparkle. The rest of the year — MEH! But during the Holidays the house is always “picked up”. And by “house” I mean the downstairs. The upstairs is a disaster . . . . where do you think everything goes? Anyway . . . with the house all decked out I like people to see it. But we don’t usually have people over. But this past week we did have two friends over. It was just a quick visit. I knew they wouldn’t stay long because they have family obligations to tend to. Since it was just going to be the four of us I didn’t plan on serving more than a few cookies for dessert. But when I started looking at all of my serving stuff, I decided I wanted to use both of my three tired servers. But I was determined NOT to have more sweets. 
So I decided to use two of the tiers as decoration holders. YAY. Decorations instead of desserts. A treat for the eyes not the belly.
Ok, many of you might be looking at this and thinking it is no big deal. And it REALLY isn’t, but I totally love it. Ha! It makes me happy. When I love something and it makes me happy, I wanna share it. And, that my friends, is the “power” of having your own blog. You can do whatever you want.
The heart ornaments in the dish are actually something I already have sitting on a table. I LOVE those ornaments. They were one of those coveted things that were part of an office “steal present game”. Ya know, where you chose a gift and there is “stealing” involved? I no longer remember how I came to be the owner of them, but they are one of my favorite sets of ornaments. One of the things that make me “Consider decorations and ornaments gifts” as I posted in More Sparkle, More Shine, More Fun! Since I love them so much I decided to add them to my “Treat” display.
Then the other arrangement is what I really love. I was scrounging around for something to make a display with and I found the purple sparkly berry things in a cabinet. I decided to pair them with the pine cone flowers from last year’s Cookie Swap I attended. Then I added the homemade card from one of my Nia Teacher/friends. Her cards always end up as decorations in the house. They are so gorgeous!!!
After my company left, I did not dismantle that portion of the display. I might just keep it up. As a non-creative, I am very happy with it. It makes me super happy. I think the sparkly blueish-purple, with the “flowers”, and the gorgeousness of the card just make me really happy. So why not keep it.
Again, I imagine some of you thinking this is silly, but (fist pump) more power to me! I am just going with what I love. I am sure this is not one of the displays that you would find on Pinterest, but I like it. I think I might like it so much because normally I would have just put out more food, but this time I was determined not to. So this is like a double treat to me!
So . . . I know many of you are very creative, so share! What have you come up with for your Christmas and/or Holiday decorating?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Christmas decorations, Christmas Ornaments, Cookie Swap, decorating, glitter and sparkle, hearts, holiday decorations, homemade cards, Nia, Nia Teacher, office Christmas steal game, Pinterest, Sunset Magazine | 8 Comments »
Awwww! Nothing.
Posted by terrepruitt on December 18, 2014
I got nothin’! Had a nice visit at Peet’s with my Nia students after Nia class today. So, I didn’t forget about posting, I was just a bit distracted today. Tis the season. I have an idea for Saturday. Hope you’ll be back then.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Nia class, Nia students, Peet's, tis the season | Leave a Comment »
Can’t Judge A Cow By It’s Color
Posted by terrepruitt on December 16, 2014
Did you know that beef from a grass-fed cow has to be cooked differently than meat from a cow that is not grass-fed? It is an interesting challenge. Last year we went in on the purchase of a grass-fed cow. When cooking it, you have to really watch it and learn the timing of how to cook it because it doesn’t LOOK the way beef from corn-fed cows look. It always looks raw . . . .at least the ground beef. Pictured here is an absolutely fully cooked burger. See how red it is? Why does it look like that?
The meat cooks faster, plus it never LOOKS cooked. So, as I said, it has to be watched and it is cooked by time not looks.
The flavor is so much nicer than the corn-fed meat. I am not really a beef lover. That is why we buy meat then marinade it right away when we get home. I like the meat to have soaked for a long time. I think the time it takes to freeze can be considered marinating time. Then as it is defrosting it is marinating. But with this meat I don’t feel the need to marinade it, or at least not marinate it for so long.
Same goes with hamburgers. When we make hamburgers from corn-fed beef, I like to put chopped onions in them. I like to sauce them up. They need the flavor of sauces – at least worcestershire . Well, not these babies. A little garlic salt and garlic powder and it was good to go. It was soooo good.
Since we enjoy the flavor of the meat so much and we think a grass-fed cow is healthier and therefore healthier for us to eat, we went in on the purchase of another cow.
And, my tired ole refrain. I was not planning on posting about it, so I only have this picture – but after dinner I couldn’t come up with anything to post and I am wondering about the way this beef cooks so I thought I would put it out there.
This one picture I took to send to the person who researched and organizes the whole cow purchasing thing. I sent it to her asking the same question. Why does the perfectly cooked meat look raw?
I also took the freezer picture because we were not certain the meat would fit in our freeze, but we took, everything out that we could live with out in the freezer. Then my hubby packed it all back. We were able to put back everything that NEEDS to be frozen. I was relieved and happy at my hubby’s tetris job. I took that shot to show the same person because the first cow was our cooler full, this one was the cooler and a box. As we were driving home my husband said, “Looking at that amount of meat . . . I don’t think it would fit in our freezer even if there was nothing in it.” Ha. We under estimated the capacity of our freezer. I am so glad we bought the big frigerator so many years ago. Whew.
So, do you buy grass-fed beef? Does it cook up like corn-fed beef (the color)? If not, do you know why? Does it taste so much more yummy to you?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: corn-fed beef, corn-fed cow, grass-fed beef, grass-fed cow, hamburgers, marinade, marinated meat, Tetris | Leave a Comment »
More Sparkle, More Shine, More Fun!
Posted by terrepruitt on December 13, 2014
I understand that Christmastime/the Holidays are a sad time for some people. For those people I send light and say prayers, but for those of you who love to let the joy of the Holidays in, I have some things I want to share. It occurred to me as I was doing some things that what I was doing made my Holidays super fun. It made me think that, perhaps all that silly stuff is part of why I love the Holidays so much. You want more fun? You wanna squeeze even more joy out of or into your Holidays. Maybe some of these things will add more to your Holidays, maybe you will think they are a waste of time or they won’t work for you, fine. But they make me happy. So here is MY list of things I do to give my Holidays more sparkle.
>>>>>>>Cleaning before decorating is awesome.
A few years in a row I was trying to clean at the same time I was decorating and that just really bugged me. With the house all clean beforehand I can run from room to room putting up the decorations wherever I want. I don’t have to clean one table or shelf and decorate as I go. I know this sounds weird to some people, but putting my sparkly decorations on a dusty shelf next to some dingy dusty shelf item just doesn’t work for me.
>>>>>>>Shop all year round.
So this is one thing that does a lot of things for me. I am listing them in no particular order.
–Shopping all year round helps spread the cost of Christmas out over the year. The Holidays can be expensive so if I can spread out the bill that helps.
–When I see something and it makes me think of someone who I shop for then I might as well get it so I don’t have the stress of trying to find something for them when it is Christmastime.
–It is really fun looking at the stuff at Christmastime (when you go to wrap it) that you bought earlier in the year. If you are like me, you don’t remember all that bought, so it is so fun discovering it again.
>>>>>>>IF you shop all year round keep a gift log (in one spot) of what you bought for who AND where you stashed it.
I don’t know if you have ever bought a gift for someone then forgot about it or just forgot where you put it only to discover it later. Well, I keep a list of who, what, and where! That way if I see something I want to buy someone I bought for I can refer to the list instead of opening bags. Having a list also helps keep me from “over-buying” for someone. So there are a few reasons to keep a list.
>>>>>>>Consider decorations and ornaments gifts. Enjoy the walk down memory lane. To me opening my ornaments and all my decorations is like getting hundreds of gifts every year. I love decorating and I love all my sparkly and glittery ornaments so unwrapping them or pulling them out of the boxes is super fun. My mom gave me a lot of my ornaments!
>>>>>>>Saving beautiful cards. I’ve posted before about saving Christmas cards we receive and using them as decorations. Well, this year, I was in a rush and I wasn’t going to hang up the previous years’ cards. But I decided it would just take a minute or two. So as I was putting them up I was glancing inside at who they were from and that just made me happy.
>>>>>>>I let go of my desire for a perfect tree. Not sure if I have mentioned this in a previous post, but I used to insist on buying one that was perfect. Ya know, like on a Christmas card. Well, as you know, those don’t exist and we don’t need a perfect one anyway. We do better with one that is kinda flat on one side and then slopes nicely on the other side. The flat side goes toward the window and allows us to have enough room to walk by the tree. If it is “perfectly” shaped it has to stick out into the walkway and just doesn’t work. Plus by the time we get home and decorate whatever tree we buy it is “perfect”. Yup, just like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree!
Ok, again, I know that the Holidays are a struggle for some people. I hope those of you that struggle make it through. I know that you will not be helped by a clean shelf or unwrapping a beloved ornament. You are in my thoughts and prayers, these ideas are for people who enjoy the holidays. And perhaps want to eek out more. Perhaps cause less stress and create a little more sparkle and shine.
Merry Christmas. (It’s almost here!)
What do YOU do to get more joy out or your Holidays?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, Christmas Tree, Christmas tree ornaments, Christmastime fun, decorating for the holidays, Holiday depression, Holiday Fun, ideas for fun Holidays, Joy of the Holidays, less stress, shopping for Christmas | Leave a Comment »
Turkey Tortilla Rolls Ups Lessons
Posted by terrepruitt on December 11, 2014
Tortilla rolls ups. An easy thing to make and bring to a potluck or serve at a party. I brought them to our Thanksgiving lunch. I wasn’t sure if we would be snacking beforehand or not. Lately we have been so I brought them. This time we did not and they were served with lunch, which is fine. At the meal there were several names that were being tossed about and, of course, I don’t remember any of them because I just have always called them tortilla rolls. I don’t consider it a wrap because it is sliced and not served whole. I have also called them turkey rolls because I make them with turkey lunch meat. I have made them often enough — which is just a few times — that I have learned a few things. Well, this time I learned even more. So I am going to share the things I learned about Turkey Tortilla Rolls Ups.
First here is the “recipe”:
____________________________________
Turkey Tortilla Rolls Ups
Tortillas (large), 5
Cream Cheese, a brick
lunch meat (I usually use turkey), 15 slices
cheese, sliced, 15 slices
onion, sliced
olives, sliced
lettuce
Before you start you might want to take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator to soften.
I use the ingredients in the order listed. I find that it seems easier to lay out cling wrap. The size of the wrap does not have to be that large because the tortilla is going to be rolled. So it can be as long as the tortilla, but the entire tortilla does not need to fit on it (say from top to bottom).
Lay out 5 pieces of cling wrap. Then place a tortilla on each piece. Then spread the cream cheese in a “band” across the tortilla about 1/3 of the way up. Then put a little “ribbon” of cream cheese on the upper edge of the tortilla. Place the lunch meat across the band, (at least 3 slices per tortilla). Place the sliced cheese (at least 3 slices per tortilla) on the lunch meat near the bottom of it. I don’t have pictures because, can you guess? I really wasn’t planning on posting this because this recipe can be found anywhere, but what I found out made me want to share.
Put slices of onions on top of the sliced cheese. On top of all that add the slices of olives. Then put handfuls of lettuce on top of that. The lettuce can be put on the tortilla from the bottom all the way up to — and even past — the band of ingredients you have across the tortilla. So basically you can “fill up” the entire bottom half of the tortilla with lettuce.
When you roll, I find it works best to roll it has tight as you can. You have to push the lettuce in and under the roll as it goes. Roll it as TIGHT AS YOU CAN. You will probably hear lettuce crunching!
Then roll the tortilla roll into the plastic wrap. Then let them set at least two hours. Before serving, cut into slices. I usually get about 8 rolls out of a tortilla. So this recipe will make about 40 little roll ups.
They seem to slice best with a serrated knife.
____________________________________
My family got together AFTER Thanksgiving. I made the roll ups on Thursday night. I sliced them and served them Saturday. When I made them I rolled them very tight. When I sliced them they were very loose. I was confused while cutting the first wrap. Then by the time I got to the second one I realized that the lettuce had shrunk. It wilted a bit. It wasn’t really soggy and totally wilted, but it did lose a lot of volume. So that is something I need to keep in mind if I make them in advance.
Also . . . people seem to love the flavor of cream cheese and olives. Interesting the things you learn:
-serrated knife, the lettuce will lose volume making the wrap loose (and more difficult to cut), and olives and cream cheese. Oh, and at the store I found THIN sliced cheese. That helped a lot.
Do you like these? Do you make them? What would you put in your Roll Ups?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: cream cheese, easy potluck dish, party pleasers, potluck, Thanksgiving, Tortilla roll ups, turkey lunch meat | 6 Comments »
Clearing Up Death
Posted by terrepruitt on December 6, 2014
In addition to oiling my buffet in preparation for Christmas Decorations, I also took down all the “Death Cards”. The top of the buffet was crammed full of cards I received because of the deaths that have occurred this year. If you have read my blog for a bit you probably know about my mom dying. She died in April. It was sudden to me, yet it dragged out for 10 days while she waited, with a tube in her throat, unable to speak, for the doctors to take the tube out so she could die. But then she didn’t die for another 11 days. I have a separate page here on my blog for her. You are probably aware of the death of our cat. She was so sweet. I like to think she was an angel and I will see her again. I know she did a lot for the people she encountered. But you might not know about my brother. Yeah, he was the first one to die. He died in January. I got a call from my niece saying he was dead.
Now, I haven’t mentioned my brother because at the time there was some legal issues or more accurately there COULD have been legal issues. My brother was a widower and a single parent. He and his daughter lived in another state and we needed to get her guardianship and all that stuff taken care of before word got out. My niece has life goals so she wanted to finish her school year up where she lived before she relocated. So she was top priority. By the time everything was straightened out AND I felt like sharing about his death, my mom got sick. I literally was going to post about my brother that week.
My mom was waiting to die for a long time (as I mentioned). She went in the hospital for one thing, she was told they could “fix it”, but then they decided they couldn’t and told her she had to decide when to die. Not an easy choice. She picked a day and it didn’t go as they had thought. So that was another process. During all of this I was focused on her. And I thought that (think that) the way people die in the United States is so horrific, I was writing posts about that. I was dealing with all of that. I was not sharing about my brother.
Then, our cat died. As I have mentioned in other posts, I am not really a writer. I had never really experienced the “release” people get from writing or journaling. But with posting about my mom and the cat I kinda understood. Plus, it is soooo amazingly helpful to get support from people all over, close-in-person friends as well as people who I have never met face-to-face but have online relationships with. So I was supported by that.
Now my mom’s memorial is over. People keep questioning me about getting another cat. With life moving on, I feel I am ready to share. I feel I need to tell the world about my brother’s death. Since I shared about all the other deaths, his should not go unmentioned.
I thought it would be appropriate to share now, while I am putting away all the cards of love — because that is what they really are. They are notes and cards of expressions of love ABOUT death. It was so heart-warming to have received those tokens. It is nice to have them still.
For those that want more details, because death makes us curious, my brother was 48, he was not in the best of health and he died of an aneurysm. It is ok to be curious. That is human nature. You are welcome to ask more questions if you want. I reserve the right to answer them in a reply on my blog or privately via e-mail, though. There might be more posts in the future . . . but for now here it is.
My awesome neice has since been relocated and is doing well. She is awesome because life at her age is “hard” enough without all the stuff she has been given to deal with. We have yet to see how it all turns out.
So, take a moment, if you knew my brother or not . . . . . thanks.
Steven L. Bacho 06.18.1965 – 01.17.14
Posted in Diane Bacho, Misc | Tagged: 2014 year of death, brother died, cat died, Christmas decorations, condolence cards, death, mom died, Steven Bacho | 28 Comments »
Teach Others What You’ve Decided To Accept
Posted by terrepruitt on December 4, 2014
Someone posted this on Facebook. I agree with it. I do feel that people need to set boundaries. I think that sometimes people drain themselves or let others drain them (of time and energy) and don’t take the time to recharge or rejuvenate. I think that sometimes situations like that can lead to “hard feelings” and resentment. Not all the time, but sometimes. I have seen relationships crumble because one person takes advantage of the other, but the one that was taken advantage of allowed it to happen. Of course, when I see something I like, like this meme, and I want to use it as a spark for a post on my blog I want to give credit for the person that created it. I appreciate it when all the information is there so it is easy to find the originator. This woman, Anna Taylor, has an interesting story. She is an international recording artist, a singer-songwriter, and speaker and radio host among other things. You can hear her sing and check out her story on her site (click here). I have seen this saying — or ones like it before, but this one ended up on my Facebook feed at a time when I was thinking the same thing so I save it for a future post. Today is the day.
Of course, everyone’s boundaries are different and there are different boundaries for different people, but I think it is important to set them and have them. At times they can even flex and move, but that should be up to you. Then it really is up to you, as the person setting, the boundaries to make sure that they are clear to the people you are dealing with. If they don’t know what they are it is easy for them to disrespect them.
I feel as if some people don’t respect their own time and energy so then others don’t either. That is a lesson taught and a lesson learned. I think sometimes people are also afraid to say “No,” for whatever reason . . . perhaps they don’t want the person asking to “not like them” or the person asking is family so there is an implied obligation . . . or it goes back to the person being asked just doesn’t respect or maybe even feel worthy of time to themselves. I don’t know . . . it is all very personal.
I just like to be the one that supports people when they share with me that they feel bad, but they just had to say no to whomever because “they just couldn’t do it”. Then they go on to explain how it would cause them stress. Sometimes you just have to say no. Sometimes there are already too many obligations on the schedule. It is ok to say no.
Love yourself, respect yourself. Understand that your time and energy are precious. Especially this time of year when there are so many things pulling us in so many directions. It is GREAT to say no to something so you can sit on the couch with your family and a mug of hot chocolate. Or whatever . . . remember . . . you get to choose. And you teach people by your choices.
Does it seem as if this time of year the demand on your time and energy is greater than all year long?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Anna Taylor, Christmastime, end of the year, Facebook, Holiday season, set broundaries, stressful time of year, take advantage | 8 Comments »
A Good Coat Of Oil
Posted by terrepruitt on December 2, 2014
Ahhh, it is December, and by the pure grace of God we are getting some rain. We need a lot of rain. Our state is dry and the water is pretty much gone, but every little bit helps. And the latest storm is bringing in some nice rain. This year the “storms” we’ve had in the San Francisco Bay Area have not really been storms and have not brought rain. Some have even just been “mistings”. But this one is good. It is an awesome way to bring in a season of Joy! One way I like to bring in the season is by oiling my entertainment center and my buffet. I don’t always have a chance to do it, some years are more hectic than others, but it is one thing I like to do. I somewhat consider it part of decorating for Christmas. Since I don’t really do “Spring Cleaning” I like to oil the furniture before I decorate at Christmastime.
It used to be that the oil came in a plastic bottle with a top like the ones that come on salad dressing bottles. The oil had to be squeezed out or shook out. But then someone got the brilliant idea to put it in spray bottles. WOW! That was an awesome idea. It makes it much easier to get the oil everywhere. I did use an entire bottle on the entertainment center. I am not sure that I oiled it last year. As I said, I like to do it every year, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. So many factors go into what you time for and what you don’t have time for, as I am sure you know . . . different things going on make different things possible or not. Sometimes you just have to let things you want to do, but aren’t that important (like oiling the furniture), go.
I take everything out of the entertainment center except the TV, stereo, and what is in the cabinet. (Yes, we still have a stereo.) When I oil the furniture I put a good coat on so I like to let it dry. I usually let it set for a day or two, to make sure it is dry and all the oil is soaked in before I put the items back. And since it is Christmastime I will leave some stuff off so that I can have room for the decorations. At least one whole shelf on the entertainment center is left empty for my nativity set. With the buffet I take everything out of the cabinets and oil inside.
I was not planning – I know I always say this, but really – on blogging about this otherwise I would have taken a “before” picture so that you could see the difference in the wood. The wood gets darkened by the oil. I think it likes it. I think it helps preserve the wood. This is really important since I’ve had the entertainment center for almost 25 years.
The buffet I got at a consignment store not to long after we moved here. I do not know its previous story.
Getting this done makes me feel good. As I said I don’t do spring cleaning, I clean for the Holidays and this is one of the things I like to do. Helps get my decorating mojo ignited. I love decorating for Christmas. I like for everywhere you look to be at least a little Christmas!
Do you have any furniture that would like to be oiled? Do you oil your furniture? Do you use Old English?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Christmas decorations, Christmastime, coat of oil, Old English, Rain, San Francisco Bay Area, wood buffet, wood entertainment center, wood furniture up keep | 4 Comments »
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