Holiday Eating Tips

I got this in an email from a friend.  Do not know the author, but I love it!

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. It's rare. 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-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

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. 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.

Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

"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 one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

The Holidays are Here!!!

I keep hoping I will find more time to blog, but that just has not happened in the past 6 months since I opened my little store.  I did take a week off early in November and went to Boston to celebrate the 1st Birthday of my youngest grandchild.  Just wanted to post a few pics of the Birthday Girl and her Big Brother. 

Hooray, I am '1' today!

Enjoying a cupcake

Big Brother really likes chocolate cupcakes...

Here is what big brother looks like when he does not have a face full of cake!  

I had so much fun with these babies.  The are cute, good and loving to their Gramma Keli.  They will be coming to visit me for Christmas, and I am so excited.  It is always wonderful when all three of my children and all my grandchildren are in the same place during the holidays.  

My little store is doing well.  I have officially been opened for 6 months and 4 days.  I have met so many nice people.  I really enjoy getting to see people be able to buy affordable nice clothing for their children.  I have also had the opportunity to donate some clothing and accessories to some people who were in need.  The part of owning a resale shop is the 'in your face' realization that there are so many people that struggle daily just to feed and cloth their children.  I have been so lucky that there are many people who have donated clothes and other child related items to my shop.  These donations allow me to help when needed, and also to keep the prices very low in my little store.   All in all, owning this little store has been a great experience. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you are ready for Christmas.  I am trying to get my self to go up in the attic and get down all the decorations, so far I have found an excuse not to do it, but I think I am getting down to the wire and will need to 'suck it up' and get up there soon. 

It's Finally Fall

I am so excited that the weather has finally turned cool at night and in the 70s during the day.

I finally got an engineer out to look at the water problem I have been having at the store.  Today they put in a super drainage system that I am hoping will solve all my issues.  Now I can finally really clean up and put in new area rugs without fear of them being ruined by  more flooding.  Business continues to be excellent and I have been blessed to find lots of really nice clothes to sell in the shop.  I continue to get new customers each week, in addition to many return customers.  Word of mouth is spreading about the store, which is the best advertising I could hope for.  

I am looking forward to the holiday season.  I believe I will have all three of my children and my five grandchildren with me for Christmas, which is the absolute best.  Not sure what is happening for Thanksgiving.  I will be making a trip to New England in early November to celebrate the 1st Birthday of my youngest grandchild.  She is such a cutie with her red hair and blue eyes.  She is already walking everywhere and her mother reports she is making lots of new sounds, so it will not be long before she is talking.  Her brother (who is now 2-1/2) is talking like a big boy and I love that his mother shares with me all the cute things he is now saying.  

I hope you are all enjoying Fall as much as I am.  I am hoping for a winter without the snow we had here last year.  I don't mind the cold, but when it snows in the south it brings everything to a stand still. 

That's all for now, and no, I did not get better at updating my blog, but there is always hope for the future. 

Just a few words

It has now been one day over a month since I last posted on my blog.  I had such good intentions when I last posted.  I really thought I would get back into the blogging groove and at least post 1-2 times a week.  Somehow my plans went down the drain as the month progressed.   A quick recap of the past month:

1.  My store has been really busy, which is a really really really good thing.
2.  My store has flooded 3 times in the past month.  It appears that the lack of gutters on the building causes the water to build up at the base of the building on 2 sides and it flows in between the cement slab floor and the walls.  Fortunately I do not have anything sitting on the floors, so the only damage done has been to the many throw rugs I have scattered around the shop, and the indoor/outdoor carpet in my storage room.  Cleaning up all that water with a wet vacuum has made me have a back ache.  When you vacuum up 15-20 gallons of water it is tiring.   The good news is that on Monday a work crew will arrive to install gutters, and dig a french drain to eliminate any build up of water.  I hope it works!!
3.  My lovely daughter had emergency surgery.  She is now completely recovered, but it scared the beejeezus out of me.  To protect her privacy I will not go into any details on my blog.   
4.  I have just been to darn busy to think about blogging. 

So that is my story, and I am sticking to it.  I hope you have all had a great end to your summer.  We suffered with more over 95 degree days this summer than I can ever remember.  Thursday it was again over 90, then on Friday it dropped to the mid 60s.  I am so grateful for cooler weather, especially the nights in the 50s.  I would like to say I will continue to update my blog on a regular basis, but we all know that I have said that several times in the past, so only time will tell.  Peace Out.

Bad, bad blogger!

I have been neglecting my blog for the past few months.  I have an excuse, I opened my own business.  My business opened on May 24th and it was a slow start, but about 3 weeks ago business started to pick up and has been doing great.  I even made enough money this month to pay all the bills!  Wow, I cannot believe it. 

Now that things are starting to run smoothly I hope to get back to blogging on a regular basis.  Only time will tell.  I hope that everyone is having a great summer, got to take a wonderful vacation and are ready for school to start.

I am looking forward to taking a vacation in November to beautiful New England.  We will be celebrating my youngest granddaughter's 1st Birthday, so it will be lots of fun.

Watcha been up to this summer? Tell me in the comments....I love comments.  

How hot is it?

To darn hot! 

Big Cousins with Little Cousins

The 8 year old playing with the 8 month old.  

So cute!

The 12 year old reading to a very tired 2 year old

Precious!

Giving Thanks

Cats are so dramatic

 

(disclaimer :  I did not take this picture, it was sent to me by someone who also did not take this picture)

Happy 4th of July

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!

Missing my Grandchildren

I miss these babies.  They live 12 hours away from where I live.   I do get to Skype with them and their parents, so that helps.  I just want to hold them and snuggle with them.  I miss you little sweeties!!

Play Dough

His mama made him play dough and he loved it. 

Summer Fun Without Words

The New Store Pictures

 This is my new store

 This is a picture of both buildings (the other building is my son's Military Surplus Store)

 Yes, I take Credit Cards and No, do not bring food or drink into the store...thank you!  Oh, and that sticker you cannot read was put there by my security company. 

 Infant carriers, Diaper Bags, and Boppy's

 Bath tubs, Potty chairs, Gates

 Riding & Push Toys, Tabletop swings, bouncey seats, Pack n' Play

 Strollers, Snap n' Go, Car Seat, Exersaucers, Bouncer

 A Play area for children while parent shops

 A fully stocked changing table for those that might need it!

 My view from the front counter

Where all the action happens, I hope....lol! 

This is just a small tour of the new store.  I have a huge back room that is slam full of product that I have not priced and put out on the floor.  That will slowly happen as I have room.  Thanks for visiting my blog.  You can find me on Facebook by searching for Gramma K's Attic, LLC.   I hope you will 'like' my page. 

Now back to work.

Opening Day is Fast Approaching

It has been forever since I updated my blog, but I have a really good reason.  I think I told you a month or so ago that I am opening a store.  Well it is time and I will open for business on Tuesday, May 24th.  I am so excited.  I have not quite finished putting everything in its place, but it should all be done by Monday night and I will take pics and post them.  I currently have 15 racks of clothes (each 4 feet long) hanging in the shop and another 2 racks (full) and 7 large plastic bins (full) in the back room.  I have strollers, pack n' play's, potty chairs, booster chairs, play pens, snap n' go, blankets, quilts, receiving blankets, onsie's,, baby books, and lots of other stuff.  I have been very lucky to find some 'new' stuff that people were giving away (thank you Craigslist).  So if you are in my area, please come by and say hello next week.  You can find me on Facebook by searching for Gramma K's Attic, LLC.  (not much there yet, but I will be updating soon, be sure to LIKE my page so you will receive my updates).  I also have a webpage reserved, but have not had time to get it all set up yet.  I will let you know when that happens. 

Well that is about all I have going on in my life, how about you? 

I just have to share some pics I pirated from my daugther.  My youngest grandson making pizza. 

Getting Ready to Make Pizza

Flouring the board

Rolling Out the Dough!

Hope you all have a great Saturday night, I am hoping to win the lottery (LMAO)!

Wordless Wednesday - 5 months old

It has been forever.....

It has been over a month since I updated my blog.  Shame on me!  I have been really busy and I took time out to spend a week in New England with my littlest grands.  It was a great trip even if it did snow 4-5 inches the night I arrived and was a wonderful 23 degrees one of the days I was there.   I got some quality time with the babies and my heart is happy. 

The other thing that has been filling my days is working on starting my own business.  I have been working on getting my LLC set up (which is done and I should have all the paperwork by Monday), getting my business license (which I now have) and buying all those things you need for a new business, including inventory.  It has been fun, nerve wracking, frustrating, fun, frightening, fun....well you get the picture. 

I will post more about this new business as soon as I have everything set.  I plan to have a website, Facebook Fan page and will be set up with Groupon.  If you have not joined Groupon, do it now, they have great discounts for lots of good stuff (in your area, no matter where you live). 

So that is what has been happening in my life.  What have you been up to?  I am thrilled that we are getting some spring type weather, but I am frustrated that all the road work has begun.  I always forget that with warm weather comes the traffic delays. 

I know it is a little late, but Happy St. Paddy's Day!

If there's no chocolate

Illustrated & Designed by Jane Seabrook

Brie-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Every month I get a little free paper called Out Town.  Each issue has local info, advertisements, and a recipe.  This month the recipe caught my attention, so last night I decided to make it for dinner.  It was soooo good that I decided to share it with all my blog friends. 

Brie-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil                                           1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, chopped                                      3/4 cup apple cider
1 Granny Smith apple,cored, coarsely chop            4 ounces Brie Cheese
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)                              (rind removed, cut into chunks) 
1 teaspoon salt                                                     4 medium boneless/skinless
                                                                              chicken breast halves

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat oil in medium size nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, cook until very tender, about 8 minutes.  Add apple, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 3/4 cup cider, cook until apples are tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Let cool slightly; Stir in Brie.  Divide stuffing into 4 equal portions.
3. Using a paring knife, make a deep and wide pocket in each chicken breast by piercing the plump, short end of the chicken breast with the knife, moving the knife gently from side to side, about 2 inches wide, within half an inch of the edges.  Take the stuffing and place into the pocket of the chicken.  Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Place in 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
4. Bake in 400 degree F oven until no longer pink, about 35 minutes (or 180 degrees on an instant-read meat thermometer).  Remove chicken to platter, keep warm.

I could not find big chicken breasts, so I used smaller breasts.  I used a meat tenderizer mallet to flatten then, then I put the stuffing in the center and rolled them closed and held them with a toothpick. I also could not find Apple Cider in any of the local stores so I used apple juice. It worked perfectly.

I served with barley pilaf (that I found in the Joy of Cooking), and fresh steamed broccoli.  Yummy!   

What if you looked out your window and saw......

Wordless Wednesday, this says it all for anyone in this storm

I did NOT take this picture, it was sent to me via email.

So Busy, Lots of Work to Do....

I think he is sending me a email asking when I am coming back to play with him!

Winter Just Keeps Going and Going and Going

A friend sent me the picture below.  I am not sure where he got this picture, so I cannot give credit to the photographer other than to say thank you for letting us know what the commute to work will look like next week. 

Will Winter Ever Stop

I cannot believe how cold and dreary it has been for the past 2 months.  Since I live in an area where we rarely get more than an inch of snow per winter, it has been quite the surprise that we have had 3 snow storms since mid-December, the biggest was 8 inches of snow.  I know that those of you that live in 'snow country' are laughing about our piddling little 8 inches of snow, but I swear this state only has 2 snow plows, so everything closes down immediately if there is a snowflake.  My grandchildren already have 3 snow days to make up this school year.  It does not appear that this weather in the east is going to stop any time soon.  It seems there is a jet stream holding, and I heard on a weather program the other night that we can expect a storm every 3-5 days for the next few weeks.   We just had 2 days of rain, and the report says another 2 days of storms will arrive on Tuesday.  I am so going to enjoy spring, if/when it ever gets here.  I just keep marking off the days until March 1st, hopefully that will be the beginning of the weather change.  I am choosing to believe this, so please do not burst my bubble. 

So to add a little sunshine to my life, my darling daughter has been taking pics with her iPhone and sending them to me.  This makes me smile and feel warm (even though it is so freaking cold).

Here is the latest pic I received yesterday.  She titled it 'Kicking and Talking'.  I call it 'cute'.

She will be 3 months old in 11 days. 

 Till next time........

He Fought the .......

Yogurt, and I think the Yogurt Won!  

He feeds himself and usually does a very good job.

Not sure what happened here.

I love how pleased he looks.

A Bedtime Story

This is my 18 month old grandson pretending to read to his 2 month old sister!  

I love the look on her face, she is so pleased. 

They are so cute I can hardly stand living 700 miles away, but

I get to go visit them again the end of February and again the,

end of April (weather permitting, of course).

Do You Take The Stairs

I try to always park where I will have to walk far enough to get some exercise.  I do not usually take the stairs, but if this was there I probably would....I think!  It looks like lots of fun. 

First Date

Yesterday my daughter sent me a picture of her cute little son with his BFF Charlotte.  It really looks like a first date picture.  So cute!  

Tea Party