It is Sunday and Christmas is this week! Only a few more days. This is the point when it gets very hard for the kids to hold out just a couple more days.
Today is a pretty relaxed day for us. I love Sundays like that. We only need to purchase one last gift. Hopefully we will figure it out soon because the big day is almost here.
I went out this morning to purchase diapers and look around. No luck with that last gift but I did come home with a couple projects. One project for my son, a big roll of Christmas pictures to color. Big Brother and I started coloring and now Daddy is working on it with him.
For the adults to work on, I purchased a long shelf with hooks. We really need one for our entry way to hang coats so we don’t have to leave all of our coats in the garage where it is cold. I had a 50% off one regular priced item from Michaels Craft Store which was good until the 24th, so I was able to get the shelf for just $10.
It is unpainted wood, so we need to paint it and seal it to give it a matte finish. My hope is with a little more time at home over the holidays we can get this project done. Sometimes buying unfinished items, and finishing them yourself is a great way to save money, especially when you have a coupon!
Today while I was out my wonderful husband was hard at work cleaning. In addition, he started a meal in the slow cooker for dinner. It was so full we had to put it over a baking sheet to contain the mess. Soon we will need to get a bigger slow cooker now that we have kids.
Today is a pretty relaxed day for us. I love Sundays like that. We only need to purchase one last gift. Hopefully we will figure it out soon because the big day is almost here.
I went out this morning to purchase diapers and look around. No luck with that last gift but I did come home with a couple projects. One project for my son, a big roll of Christmas pictures to color. Big Brother and I started coloring and now Daddy is working on it with him.
For the adults to work on, I purchased a long shelf with hooks. We really need one for our entry way to hang coats so we don’t have to leave all of our coats in the garage where it is cold. I had a 50% off one regular priced item from Michaels Craft Store which was good until the 24th, so I was able to get the shelf for just $10.
It is unpainted wood, so we need to paint it and seal it to give it a matte finish. My hope is with a little more time at home over the holidays we can get this project done. Sometimes buying unfinished items, and finishing them yourself is a great way to save money, especially when you have a coupon!
Today while I was out my wonderful husband was hard at work cleaning. In addition, he started a meal in the slow cooker for dinner. It was so full we had to put it over a baking sheet to contain the mess. Soon we will need to get a bigger slow cooker now that we have kids.
Our house smells wonderful. Slow cooker meals are such a great dinner to have during the week before Christmas. It is low maintenance, and easy to make large portions to have on hand in case you need a quick meal of leftovers or you have last minute guests.
Grandma and Grandpa gave us a roast, thank you! We seared the meat and put that in the slow cooker along with the left over half a bottle of wine from movie night. We weren’t using a recipe, just adding things we had.
Grandma and Grandpa gave us a roast, thank you! We seared the meat and put that in the slow cooker along with the left over half a bottle of wine from movie night. We weren’t using a recipe, just adding things we had.
In the slow cooker we also added a large can of diced tomatoes and their juices, diced squash, a diced sweet potatoe, 3 chopped carrots, 1 chopped onion, seasonings of salt, pepper, 2 bay leaves, and thyme. Last we topped it off with vegetable broth to give the stew enough liquid. Hubby turned it on high because it was already late in the morning at the point we started. On high it should cook for probably 5 or 6 hours, at which point we will check to make sure the meat is cooked through.
Although Hubby does have a romantic side the heart wine stopper in the top of the slow cooker is for practical reasons. A while back we broke our slow cooker lid and lost the handle and screw. The wine stopper was Hubby’s creative way of making sure the heat stayed trapped in. That particular cute wine stopper was a guest favor at my sister’s wedding, thank you guys! We now have many uses for it ;-)
While our baby was napping I made a batch of rice crispy treats using Kellogg’s Holiday Rice Krispies cereal. If you would like to see Snap, Crackle and Pop sing click the link.
While our baby was napping I made a batch of rice crispy treats using Kellogg’s Holiday Rice Krispies cereal. If you would like to see Snap, Crackle and Pop sing click the link.
The red and green make them look very festive.
I made a special candy cane shaped one for my son, but it turned out he wanted the traditional square ones, so Daddy got to have the candy cane treat. These treats are always a hit with everyone, and so simple and quick to make. If you have a bag of marshmallows and Rice Krispies, or an equivalent cereal, on hand in your house they are super fast to whip up last minute.
There are so many variations you can do depending on what you like. Different cereal, the addition of peanut butter, chocolate chips, or just about anything else you can think of.
It is raining pretty hard outside now so tonight will be one inside enjoying the lovely Christmas tree, electric fire and each other. Enjoy your evening everyone!
What are some of your favorite quick and easy last minute treats to make?
It is raining pretty hard outside now so tonight will be one inside enjoying the lovely Christmas tree, electric fire and each other. Enjoy your evening everyone!
What are some of your favorite quick and easy last minute treats to make?
