Christmas Movie List and Christmas Decorating

Christmas is our favorite time of the year! We have lots of Christmas traditions, such as decorating the tree together as a family, watching certain movies together, and making the gingerbread house on Christmas Eve together. I try to find fun crafts and do at least 2 a week with the kids. We will also take a night to go to the Shadracks Christmas Light Show at the Smokies Stadium and possibly ride through the rest of the county to see lights as well.
  Here is a list of some of our favorite Christmas movies! And some pictures of our decorating! (Keep in mind my house is VERY small and I am not a professional photographer)

**Favorites

* Smoky Mountain Christmas
* A Christmas Story
* To Grandmothers House We Go(Olsen)
* The Santa Clause 1,2&3
* One Magic Christmas
* White Christmas
* The Grinch - new and old
* National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
* A Charlie Brown Christmas
*The Christmas Gift
* It's a Wonderful Life
* Home Alone 1,2
*Polar Express
*Jingle all the Way
* Jack Frost
*Scrooged
* A Christmas Carol

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Eloise at Christmas Time
Berenstein Bears Christmas Tree
Franklin's Christmas
Casper Haunted Christmas
Barney's Night Before Christmas
Curious George:Very Monkey Christmas
A Very Thomas Christmas
Santa Paws 1&2
Beauty and the Beast:Enchanted Christmas
Ice Age: Enchanted Christmas
Muppet Christmas Carol
Garfield Christmas
A Chipmunk Christmas
Donkeys Christmas Shrektacular
Beethoven's Christmas Adventure
A Scooby Doo Christmas
Ernest Saves Christmas
Arthur's Perfect Christmas
A Golden Christmas
Elmo Saves Christmas
Flintstones Christmas
Winnie the Pooh and Christmas too
Elf

Sesame Street Christmas Carol
Prancer
Prancer Returns
Miracle on 34th Street
Rudolph
Frosty and Frosty Returns
Santa Clause is Coming to Town
Frostys Winter Wonderland
A Year without Christmas
Mickeys Choo Choo Express
Mickey Saves Santa
The Happy Elf
Prep and Landing & Totally Tinsel Collection
Disney's Christmas Carol

I'll be home for Christmas
Nightmare Before Christmas
Holiday Inn
A Year without Santa
The nutcracker
Blizzard
Shrek the Halls
Elmo's Christmas Countdown
Santa Buddies

The Boy is 5 and a Fall craft!

Yes it's true, the boy is 5! I can not believe time has flown by so fast! It seems like yesterday we brought him home!

He was very different from Sissy...from day 1. He cried more, he fussed more, and needed a lot more attention than she did.

He has always been rambunctious,and hard headed...and I think it's the red head in him! Look at those red curls...beautiful!!

But the time came to get the curls cut...and Mommy cried! My baby was a little boy.

We had his party on Sunday so family could come. Big Daddy made him the Lego cake and he wanted pizza. He had a great party and we enjoyed spending time with family! 

 He woke up on his 5th birthday with a dusting of snow on the ground. His first birthday that it has snowed.

Who says you can't have chocolate cake for breakfast on your birthday?? (HaHa...No Ma, he didn't eat all of that!)

 And yet another "Maginex" toy!

 We spent well over an hour finding, setting up, and playing with the "Maginex" toys.

We decided to take a break in our school/birthday day and do some crafts.

       


Lunch as requested "cheese sandwich" and  Big Daddy surprised him with ANOTHER Imaginext toy.

I am so glad this little boy is mine! He likes to tell me he loves me about 50 times a day. And he tells me "Mom you are my favorite girl ever" I get hugs and snuggles all through out the day(every day). 

He is my Wild Child, bouncing off the walls and being loud...but I wouldn't change him...he is my Brother Bear! 

Here is where I got the craft...

Hello November and a menu!

I can not believe that it is already 3 days in to November!! It is amazing to me how fast time flies!

November is a really busy month for us, lots of homeschool activities, Toys for Tots, and just getting ready for the holidays in general!
I am trying to use up items that we have on hand for my weekly menus so that's why I haven't shared many lately. But, I have had a few requests so I thought I would share what we are having this week!


Monday:
Yogurt,Granola,and Fresh Fruit
Shrimp and Rice
Crabby Patties (Salmon Patties) with sweet potato fries

Tuesday:
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins with Kefir
Soup and Sandwiches
Baked Spaghetti  with green beans and garlic toast

Wednesday:
*PAPAWS DAY*

Thursday:
Biscuits,Eggs,and Bacon
Homemade Mac and Cheese with Homemade Chicken Nuggets
?

Friday:
Oatmeal with Kefir
Quesadillas with Fresh Fruit
Shepherds Pie  with Peas

Saturday:
Cereal
*Papaw*
Pork,Kraut, and Taters in Crock-Pot with green beans

Sunday:
Cereal with Smoothie
Grilled Cheese
*Daddy's Choice"

October Movies and Pumpkin Bread

October 10, 2014: Today is a rainy gloomy Fall day. A great day for some of YaYa's Tuna Casserole, a little school work,a list of October Movies( 60 to be exact) and some homemade Pumpkin Bread! I love days like this!

Lets start with the list, the kids and I came up with some of our favorite October movies and some that we want to see, so we thought we would share! :-)
(Some of these we own,some we need to buy, some are on Netflix, some are on Youtube!)

*FAVORITES*
  *1* HOCUS POCUS
  *2* DOUBLE DOUBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE
3. Toy Story of Terror
4, Nightmare Before Christmas
5. Adams Family
6. Adams Family Values
7. Casper
8. Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
9. Coraline
10. Little Monsters
11. Mr. Boogedy
12. Bride of Boogedy
13. Dr, Suess Halloween is Grinch Night
14. The Worst Witch
15. Ghostbusters
16. Ghostbusters II
17. Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
18. Dreamworks Scared Shrekless
19. Dreamworks Monsters vs Aliens Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space
20. Halloweentown
21. Halloweentown High
22. Spooky Buddies
23. Franklin Halloween
24. Alvin and Chipmunks Batmunk
25. Halloween Tree
26. Hotel Transylvania
27. Igor
28. Frankenweenie
29. Paranorman
30. The Witches
31. The Black Cauldren
32. Escape to Witch Mountain
33. Return to Witch Mountain
34. Mickeys House of Villians
35. The Little Vampire
36. Witches in Stitches
37. Spookley the Square Pumpkin
38. Poohs Heffalump Halloween Movie
39. Garfeilds Halloween Adventure
40. Dear Dracula
41. Vampire Dog
42. Mad Monster Party
43. Goonies
44. Young Frankenstein
45. Monster House
46. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
47. Ernest Scared Stupid
48. Disneys Halloween Treat
49. Once Upon a Halloween
50. Curius George Halloween Boo Fest
51. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
52. Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat
53. Berenstain Bears Spookiest Pumpkin
54. Berenstain Bears Haunted Lighthouse
55. Elmo says Boo
56. Barneys Halloween Party
57. Goosebumps
58. Casper's Scare School
59. Beetlejuice
60. Haunted Mansion


Now on to the Pumpkin Bread! I haven't found a clean pumpkin bread recipe that we all like yet, so this is my go to right now. I got this recipe from a family friend and we all love it! I tweaked it just a bit(as usual-haha).

Pumpkin Bread: From Darlene Derosia

Here is the recipe:

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup Vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat eggs. Add sugar and beat together.
Add pumpkin, oil, and water and mix well.
Add flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Beat until well combined.
Add walnuts and gently mix.
Pour in to a greased and floured bread pan.
Bake around 60 minutes or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.
When done, turn out on a rack to cool

(I only used 1 cup sugar. I used Coconut oil. And I added 1/3 cup walnuts)

MY HOUSE SMELLS AMAZING Y'ALL!!!


We are ending the day with some Yummy Pizza Soup and Grilled Cheese!

Pizza Soup

Here is another Easy Peasy recipe..Pizza Soup. Way better than plain tomato soup!Everyone loves this soup, I just add a grilled cheese sandwich and you have a great school day lunch!

Ingredients: 

1lb ground beef

2 cans condensed tomato soup(26oz), undiluted

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce

15-20 pepperonis, chopped

4 cups water

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• In a large stock pot, cook beef until no longer pink,drain. Add soup,spaghetti sauce,pepperoni,water, and seasoning, bring to a boil. 
• Reduce Heat; Simmer,uncovered,for 15 minutes. 
• Add cheese, cook and stir until melted. 
• Garnish with additional cheese 

*This recipe makes enough to have plenty of leftovers and enough to put in freezer for another meal!

From Taste of Home

Sara's Mixed Up Rice (Santa Fe Style)

I found a recipe for "Grandma's Rice Dish" from Taste of Home. I made it one time and it reminded me of a frozen meal that I use to eat called Sante Fe-Style Beans and Rice. So I took that recipe and I added my own twist to it, and this is what we got!

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes,undrained
1 can whole kernel corn,drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 bacon strips(I use turkey bacon but regular bacon is great too)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese,divided
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp butter, melted

• In a large skillet, cook the beef,onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink;drain. Stir in the rice,tomatoes,beans,corn,bacon,chili powder,garlic powder and salt. Bring to a boil;remove from the heat. Add 1 cup of cheese and stir until melted. 

• Transfer to a greased baking dish(11x13). Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Toss bread crumbs with melted butter,sprinkle over top of cheese. Bake uncovered,at 350 for 15-20 minutes. 

This is definitely a comfort food! My kids like finding trying to find the bacon hidden in with everything else! 

Chicken and Veggie Hodgepodge

I really like those recipes that are "bottom of the barrel". You know the ones where you can use up the last of things and those ingredients that have just been around for awhile and you need to do something with them? This is one of those recipes for me.
I have had a package of ground chicken and 2 cans of mixed veggies sitting around for a while and I finally decided to do something with them, so out came this recipe. :-)

This is a very simple recipe and very filling! Sissy says "Not bad mom". So I thought I would share here in case anyone else has a few cans of mixed vegetables staring at them every time they open the pantry door.

Ingredients:

1lb ground chicken

2 cans mixed veggies, drained and rinsed

1 can green beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained and rinsed

2 cups elbow macaroni

2 cups cheese-I used Colby Jack,Asiago,and White Cheddar(each one only had a little left so this was great to use them all up)

Emirel Seasoning

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Pepper


1. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions.

2. Cook ground chicken with a little olive oil and seasoning in skillet, until no longer pink.

3. Once the chicken and macaroni is cooked add all ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine, taste it and see if you need to add more of each seasoning.

4. Place everything in a greased casserole dish. (You can top with more cheese if you want)

5. Bake in oven for 20-25minutes.

Pushing Forward and September Menu

After some inspiration from fellow bloggers I am *Pushing Forward* :-)

I can't believe it is September already guys! We have had so much happen so far this year.
Some of you already know this but, Big Daddy had to leave his job at the beginning of the year, so we took a role reversal for about 6 months where he stayed home with the kids and I worked...a lot!
This in turn made me push things that I love to do to the wayside, this blog being one of them. I just didn't have time y'all, and when I did I was just too tired!
Big Daddy went back to work in June and things are finally coming back together.
We started homeschooling at the beginning of August and we LOVE it, it is a big adjustment for us but, we are loving all the freedom that we have!
I hope to get back in the groove of things here and continue to post recipes and menus, but also I want to start sharing our homeschool journey as well!

I am starting out by posting this September menu. We have a lot going on in the month of September so I decided to just do the menu for the whole month to make things easier.

Breakfasts Choices: 
*Cereal with Fruit
*Shakes
*Smoothies
*Biscuits & Gravy,Eggs and Sausage
*Eggs and Toast
*Oatmeal and Kefir
*Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins and Kefir

*Pigs N Blanket and Eggs
*Waffles and Fruit
*Pancakes and Eggs
*Yogurt and Fruit

Lunch Choices:
Lots of Left Overs 
*Sandwiches
*Grilled Cheese
*Chicken Nuggets
*Pizza
*Burritos
*Tuna Salad
*Pizza Soup(recipe coming soon)
*Homemade Bread,Cheese,Fruits and Veggies
*Salads
*Smoothies
*Minestrone Soup

Dinner Choices: 
*Goulash with Salad and Green Beans
*Lipton Chicken with Crescent Rolls
*Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions
*Hamburgers,Homemade Fries, and Baked Beans
*Aprils Quiche
*Crabby Patties
*Lasagna Subs with Salad and Green Beans
*Crazy Mixed Up Rice Dish(recipe coming soon)
*Hot Wings with Homemade Fries and Roasted Veggies
*Aprils Simple Red Beans and Rice
*Taco Casserole
*Unstuffed Zucchini

*Steak,Baked Potato,Salad, and Beans
*Turkey Kielbasa and Summer Veggies 

*Soup Beans and Cornbread,Kraut and Wienies, Fried Taters
*Chili {Wendy's Style}

*Grilled Chicken Salad
*Veggie Soup and Cornbread
*Pork,Taters, and Kraut

*Taco Chili with Rice 

:-)