LOLOL....anytime Gayle. I have been spending a lot more time in my room....it looks so clean!!! Next I will tackle the living room and dining room. I really should paint the hallway, but not sure I want to tackle that. Honestly....after moving all that stuff around in my room, painting the hall should be a breeze. :)

Glad you were able to get so much done.

Gayle, I overheard Scott talking with his mom before Christmas about future Christmases, and she suggested that we do a 3 year rotation - one year at their house, one year at my parents' house, and host one at our own house. Afterwards I told him that I don't want to schedule our Christmases for the next 20 years! I thought that after we have a family of our own it would be nice to just have our own family Christmas, without having to travel every year. We will do next year with my family for sure (we won't have our own by then!) and after that, we'll just see what happens. Scott said his family traveled every year for Christmas - they'd normally drive all the way out to the coast to visit family in BC, or just around the province to visit family closer by, but never had a Christmas at home. When I grew up, most Christmases were just my parents, my brother, and myself. Sometimes grandparents would visit, and sometimes it would just be us alone. Maybe 3 times in my 18 years living at home, we may have gone somewhere else for Christmas. I guess we just see Christmas differently!

You guys are making me jealous with your clean houses :( Mine is in a bad state for now lol. The breakfast nook has become a dumping ground while we do renovations to the future laundry room. We've also made it the dog "home base" because they used to be where the construction zone now is! So it's a big mess... and we're having company tonight! :eek:

Scott didn't know I was taking a picture :D

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Lindsey, I think you are wise to just wait to have your family and then work to create your own Christmas at your house. I think it should be where the kiddos are located and then the grandparents can visit if they want. That's not to say that you can't travel once in a while, but take it from someone who moved away and had to travel for lots of holidays the past 30 years, it's no picnic - you really want to just stay home!!! You'll work it out, I know you will.

And I want you to know that you inspired me too, Lindsey. I've cooked all day! I like to cook a lot all at once, and then freeze it, just like you. So, after I read about all your cooking, I decided to do that too. I made homemade spaghetti sauce from my homegrown tomatoes. I ripened them wrapped in newspaper and when I got back from Christmas in Houston, they were ready to use. I ate some for dinner tonight and kept some in the fridge for tomorrow, then I froze the rest. I have a vegetable soup in the crockpot and I have enchalidas in the oven. That's it for today, but I might cook something else tomorrow.

That sounds so good Gayle!! I have never used homegrown tomatoes in sauce, I always just use them from a can lol. I managed to get the casseroles, spaghetti sauce, and sweet'n'sour beef done yesterday. I have hamburger soup and chili cooking now. I planned to make cabbage rolls today but the cabbage wasn't ready. I normally freeze it and thaw it before using the leaves. I don't think I froze it long enough (1 day) because when I thawed it, the whole head of cabbage still looked and felt fresh :rolleyes: I didn't want to take the time to boil it while trying to make two more meals today, so I just put it back in the freezer for another day!

I use dough to make my cabbage rolls, I'm thinking you use the leaves to make the rolls. That sounds like a lot of work!!! LOL!

My enchalidas were really good!!! I'm going to post the recipe in the recipe thread. They are low fat enchiladas and they are GOOD!

Lol yes, I roll them in the cabbage leaves! I've never seen them made with dough! That sounds interesting!

The recipe using dough is in the 4WT recipe thread, 12 threads down, called Easy Cabbage Rolls.

All this cooking! It ll sounds delicious! I used to cook on Sundays and freeze it when I was working and Jessie was a teenager.

I'm on weight watchers right now, and I'm not cooking. I bought some lean cuisine dinners and have been popping them into the microwave. I'm running out, so I will have to start cooking dinner again soon. There is too much snow to go out shopping today! I lost about 5 pounds, so it is working well. I like weight watchers.

I'm really bored! The snow is beautiful, but I won't go anywhere. My friends are here, so maybe I'll go visit one of them today. We're having a New Year's party tomorrow night. I am excited! We're having lobster! Yummmmmm! Everyone is making a dish, but I have decided not to worry about it anymore. They all know I don't cook, so nobody expects me to bring anything, but I always felt bad that I didn't have a dish to bring. I would bring wine. If I can get out tomorrow, I will buy a bottle of champagne. If not, oh well!

I didn't get the kids over this vacationist because of the snow. It has been a nice, quiet week.

I will try to walk the dogs in the snow later. They enjoy it, and with the three if them, I have to get them out or they have too much energy. I enjoy it too, and it is exercise.

Good for you Judy! I wish I could lose 5 lbs! I like WW too, it always seems to work well.

I've just had a quiet day, didn't feel very well this morning, no appetite and just felt off. So, I ran a couple of errands and then just watched TV and laid around the rest of the day. I feel like a sloth! LOL! I feel fiine now, so I don't know what was up with me this morning. I'll just be watching football and basketball for the next couple of days. I'll really be a sloth by the time Wednesday rolls around!

I groomed and bathed the dogs, they needed it so bad. Then mopped the kitchen, cleaned the bathroom where I bathed them and then had to clean my room again because that's where I groom them. I'm so tired, but not able to fall asleep as yet. Tomorrow they guys have to work....yay....I get the house to myself again, at least for the day.

I need to run to town tomorrow and run a few errands. Roads are not the best, but have driven on worse. Just need to take my time. We are suppose to get another 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow afternoon.

Lindsey, would you share your recipe for hamburger soup?

Gayle, I will! I'll put it in the recipes section right away :)

I have been so lazy! Yesterday I slept in, and Scott worked on the laundry room. We have framed walls up now! Last night we went out for a fancy meal and tried going to a movie. Well, it was sold out when we got there and the next one wasn't on until 10:50. We thought we'd wait a few hours.

So we went to visit our friend for a while, who was Scott's best man at our wedding. I mentioned before in the prayers needed section about him. He has gone through multiple rounds of chemo in the last months. It was very weird to see him without any hair. I haven't actually seen him since the wedding because the other times Scott visited him, I was sick and wanted to keep my germs away. Anyways, he is doing well and will be heading to Seattle in the coming months for a stem cell transplant. He is excited to get it over with and be done with cancer once and for all!

We finally got to the movie and I ate a ton of popcorn :) We drove home at 1:30 am in heavy heavy fog :( Luckily we made it home safely.

Today we are working on the laundry room some more. I am going to make deviled eggs shortly to take over to our friends' house tonight for a little New Years get-together. One more day off tomorrow and then back to work Wednesday! :(

Hey Lindsey, I found it in the soup thread of the recipe forum!

Happy New Years everyone!
Yes Lindsey, please share your recipe.. sounds good!
Gayle your enchalidas sound wonderful! I will be making them... I just finished a crockpot full of Cheesy Chicken Pasta bake... my own recipe. Will be taking it to my brothers to celebrate the New Years for my dish.
Judy you ever think of cheese and crackers for your dish? Or lil' smokies in barbeque sauce? Simple, yet always enjoyed.... best thing is no cooking! Lots of little things to do without actually cooking, and no guilt for you!

Yummmmm... I love my recipe. I was into Sam's Club years ago and they were giving out samples of a dish like this.. I thought I could make it and here is what I came up with. Now it is my signature dish that I am always asked to bring to gatherings. Here it is:

Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake
1 1/2 lbs. - Penne Pasta cooked and drained
1 - 13oz. can Chicken Breast drained
1 - 10oz. can Creme of Chicken soup
1 - 4oz. can diced Jalapeno Peppers undrained
3/4 large block of Velvetta Cheese
Milk (enough to make creamy)
Combine all ingedients and heat until cheese is melted and creamy.
Makes approx. 4-5 qts.

I make mine in a Crockpot.
The jalapeno peppers can give a little hot heat to this. If you don't like the hot, you can use 1 - 4 oz. can of green chiles which adds flavor without the heat.

If you try it, I hope you enjoy it!

Happy New Year!!!
May the coming year bring us all continued health, happiness, acceptance, and above all peace and contentment in our hearts.

Lindsey, the hamburger soup is on the stove simmering!

Shada, you cheesy chicken pasta bake sounds YUMMY!