Advents Corner

The weekend was wonderful other than the fact the Lani and I are the only ones that are not sick.  Mom, Dad, and Matt all have the cold that Dad brought from

Hawaii.  Mom as saying last night she thought she was going to have to sleep sitting up in the bed so she could breath, I thought now would be the perfect time to have one of those adjustable beds so she could just raise the bed up and not have to worry about all of the pillows.  They catch their plane to go back to

Hawaii at 6 in the morning so today is our last day together.  We do not want to them to leave but hopefully they will be moving back soon.  Mom is seriously talking about it and we are so excited.

The next time you see one of our service men or women please take a moment to say thank you.  They sacrifice so much to give us the everyday freedoms that we sometimes take for granted all at the same time giving up so much of them.  This great country was built on the backs of these selfless individuals.  Teach your children that they are our true heroes not football players and movie stars.  Please watch the attached video and the next time you see service personnel and you are too embarrassed to say something or you just do not know what to say just give them this sign and that will convey more emotion than any amount of words every could.  Thank you to our heroes in uniform.

Last night we were able to have dinner with Mr. Don Stevens, a man Dad was in

Vietnam with 40 years ago.  It was so nice; he brought pictures and shared them with us.  Dad was so young, only 19 years old.  Mrs. Lee took a picture of us as we were getting ready to leave and she sent it to me last night.  It was a very pleasant evening and 2 more wonderful people have walked into our lives.

We can thank Chris Rock for this one. 

 ”You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy,
the best golfer is a black guy,the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese,
the Swiss hold the America’s Cup , France is accusing the U.S. of
arrogance, Germany doesn’t want to go to war, and the three most
powerful men in America are named Bush, Dick, and Colon .

Do you like bidding on auctions on line?  Then I have the place for you.  What if you could get the best prices on iPhones, iPods, HDTV’s, or golf clubs all while helping your favorite charity?  When you use Bidaroo.com to bid on items and win, 25 to 65% of the price will be donated to the charity of your choice.  You can choose from National Breast Cancer Foundation, Jameson Camp and others.  The founder of the company won the battle with cancer several years ago and wanted to do something to give back for all of the help he received.   Some of the past charity auctions have been very successful for the bidders such as the winning bid on an iPhone 4 GB for $11.99 or a Coach bag for $29.97.  Take a minute and register to start bidding today.  You can place your first bid on a $10,000 shopping trip on Rodeo Drive.  Good luck to you and don’t forget you are helping out a wonderful cause.

Spam musubi is a fun on the go snack in Hawaii.  They are so very simple to make and they are so good.  Lani just loves them, she ate a 1/2 of one all by herself.  I love spam although I have to confess I did not eat it until I was pregnant with Lani then I would eat it straight out of the can.  I found this recipe on www.sushiday.com even thought it is very easy to make I thought you might want the directions for it.  Please try it and don’t let the thought of spam put you off because it is so enjoyable and you can keep them in the fridge and eat them in the go for breakfast in the morning instead of stopping at McDonald’s.

Ingredients

• 2-3 sheets nori
• 2 cups rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 can spam
• 1/4 cup shoyu
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Cooking Directions

1. Cook the rice, using equal parts rice and water. I use a rice cooker, but you can also cook it on the stove if you don’t have a rice cooker.
2. Mix the shoyu, oyster sauce, and sugar in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Cut the spam into about 10 pieces, horizontally (like you are slicing the top off each time). Keep the can!
4. Place the span in the shoyu mix, marinate for about 5 minutes.
5. Put the oil in a frying pan, heat over medium heat.
6. Fry the marinated spam until brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
7. Cut the nori into strips about 2.5 inches wide.
8. Wash the can that the spam was in very well.
9. Fill the can loosely with rice, then pack the rice into the can very tightly. It should end up about an inch or so thick. Update: To get the rice out of the can, I slammed the can upside down on the cutting board until the rice came out. You might also try to line the can with plastic wrap before you pack the rice, so it’s easy to pull it out.
10. Place the rice on one end of the nori, so that they are perpendicular.
11. Place a slice of spam on the rice.
12. Wrap the nori around the spam/rice stack. Hold closed for a few seconds, it should stick. If it doesn’t stay closed, use a drop of water to close it.

This sucks so bad I am at work and all of our family is at home have a grand ole time.  I am glad Matt has the week off so Lani is home with Daddy and the grandparents.  She is going to be so spoiled she is not going to want to go back to daycare.  I really don’t blame her thought I did not want to come back to work.  I guess it being the day after Christmas the loony people are out.  I am answering phones today and some you know we are in the “title “ insurance business and I had someone just call me to get a term life insurance quote and when I tried to explain we do not insure people we insure land they were even more confused, oh well.

Well Christmas is over and I still never found my snow globe for the front yard.  That really upsets me because I know Lani would have loved it.  Last year I would just stand in the front yard at night and just watch it.  Our outdoor shed is so cluttered and disorganized we have to do something about it.  After the New Year we have to get in there and organize everything with some tool storage or something.  We can’t find anything in there and you know it is bad when you lose an entire Snowman Snow globe that is just sad to say the least.

Every year our family does secret Santa and un-birthday gifts at Christmas time. We do that because we are not close to each other during the year for birthdays so at Christmas time we basically take care of everything at once. This year I got Uncle Ron and he is an avid golfer and a UF fan so I got him a UF hat and brushed golf tees. I have been keeping my ears open when I am around all of the golfers in the family this year for gift ideas for next year and I have a couple. One for instance I have been hearing them talk about an Ogio backpack or the Sweet Spot finder which is what we got dad for Christmas. I am always on the look out for ideas.

I have seen people wearing dog tags lately as a fashion statement and I decided to get one for Michaela. I selected a purple tag because that is her favorite color and had her school name, her name, a music note and viola player engraved on it. I finally received it in the mail today even after having a dumb moment. I ordered the dog tag and thought I entered my correct address when in reality I entered my work street address with my home city and zip. Of course I did not realize I did this until I received an email from the company asking me if I had moved because the tag was returned to them. I replied and told her that I had not moved and she responded with my shipping address. I felt like such an idiot but she told me not to worry about it and she promptly changed my shipping information and I received the tag today on Christmas Eve. She was so helpful and corrected everything even thought it was my own fault. The tag is beautiful and the service was beyond compare. Thank you Quick Trophy for doing such an excellent job on making me feel like you only customer in the world.

Read the verse to your child and let them color the picture.

Sorry for the short post but we have so much family here now.  I want to say real quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY SERENA!!!!!  My middle daughter turned 13 years old today.  Oh how time flies by.  Stay tuned for pictures.  I will try and upload some tomorrow.

Read the verse to your child and let them color the picture.

Read the verse to your child and let them color the picture.

Just a little poll I wanted to throw up here to see if any of you received bonuses this holiday season.   Remember the days when they are so standard that people counted on them for the holidays.  These days some people are lucky to get a free lunch.

My mother-in-law sent me some eating tips for the holidays.  I love her so much she is always looking out for the family and I love her way of thinking.  Please enjoy and remember have a happy holiday.

 Eating Tips for the Holidays.
 
1. Avoid carrot sticks.  Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit.  In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.  Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.
 
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly.  You can’t find it any other time of year but now.  So drink up!  Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip?  It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an ‘eggnog-aholic’ or something.  It’s a treat. Enjoy it!  Have one for me.  Have two.  It’s later than you think.
 
3. If something comes with gravy, use it.  That’s the whole point of gravy.  Gravy does not stand-alone.  Pour it on.  Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes.  Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk.  If it’s skim, pass.  Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating.  The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free.  Lots of it. Hello?
 
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s.  You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.  This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge.  Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention.  They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
 
8. Same for pies.  Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat – have a slice of each.  Or, if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin.  Always have three.  When else do you get to have more than one dessert — Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake?  Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost.  I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention.  Reread tips: Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.  Remember: ‘Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘WOO-HOO what a ride!’

Have you found the home of your dreams and now you want to get the biggest bang for your buck.  All of the closing cost can add up really fast and that is a lot of money coming out of your pocket.  What if you could get back up to 15.5% cash back or perks such as a free cruise for 2, how is that new purchase looking now?  ePERKS.com has complied incentives and perks on one website with their top real estate agents.  Enter your zip code and it brings up list of agents in your area that offer incentives.  Once you pick your agent you can review the incentives and perks they offer and their current listings all in one hassle free place.

Read the verse to your child and let them color the picture.

I love these cookies and I have never seen anything like them before.  They are called Stained Glass cookies and you use lifesavers or jolly ranchers as the center and you can hang them from your tree.  Please let me know if you make these.

A study has just been released that states you can get rid of fleas by using your vaccum.  The vacuum causes so much trauma to the flea that they die.  If you have little ones like we do or you just do not like using chemicals pull out you vacuum and give it a try.  The study suggest is kills 96% of adult fleas and 100% of younger fleas.