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

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!

Mothers Day 2013 and a New Menu

What an awesome day! I am so very blessed! :-)

I got some GREAT gifts this year! So excited!!

My Brothers and I came up with a great gift for my Mom!

A friend of our family painted this and she did an amazing job!

These are all the things that my mom loves;
*Tennessee Mountains
*Fish-1982 is the year my middle Brother was born.
*Books because she loves to read
*Flower because she loves her flowers
*Favorite Quilt block
*Fisher- 1980 is the year my parents were married
*Cross- 1981 is the year my oldest brother was born
* Quilt pattern because she loves to quilt
* Knitting Needles,Yarn,Scissors,etc.. because she loves to do crafts
*Apple- for NY
* Sodus Point Lighthouse from where she grew up
* Dachshund- her favorite dog, and what we have always had
* VW bus, her favorite! 1985-year I was born
*Birdhouse with hummingbird
* Barn with Quilt Block

If anyone one wants anything custom made I highly recommend Beth Pittser of Custom Creations by Beth she did an amazing job! :-)


Menu this week- I am putting that new blender to good use! We have a lot of things going on this week so the menu is a little off this week...

Monday:
Smoothie
Juice
Ribs with Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli and Brussels

Tuesday:
Juice
*Daddys Choice*
*Eat Out*

Wednesday:
Juice
?
Freezer Meal

Thursday:
Scrambled Eggs
Salad
?

Friday:
Cereal with Fruit
Salad
Crabby Patties  with Roasted Veggies

Saturday:
Smoothies
HM Chicken Nugget with Raw Veggies
?

Sunday:
CLEAN
   OUT
     FRIDGE

*Spring Break Fun*

I knew that I didn't want to hear "I'm bored" from Sissy at all while she was on Spring Break so I tried to keep her as busy as I could, and for her to have lots of fun!

The first day of Spring Break her Best friend Savannah came to spend the night with us. 

Best friends since Kindergarten! 

That night they made their own pizzas(One of Sissys favorite things to do when having a sleepover)

Saturday morning I tried a new recipe for breakfast that was a hit, Sausage Biscuit,Egg and Cheese Breakfast Ring. If you haven't tried it yet, you are missing out. Here is the recipe,Sausage Biscuit,Egg and Cheese Breakfast Ring

The next day we went to a local Ranch.  

We drove a 3 mile loop around the ranch to see all the different animals. They come right up to your vehicle to be fed. The kids loved this part! 

Lots of fun for the kids and they loved being up close to all of the animals! 

The next day was Easter! 

Monday was a mixture of cleaning the house and "re-grouping". 

Tuesday Sissys other friend Olivia came to stay with us. Big Daddy had this day planned out since I had to work. 

He took them to a local place called "MagiQuest" 

On the lower level they did Black-light putt putt golf and on the upper level they went on a magic quest with wands. 

To top the day off Big Daddy took the girls to see a movie that night...

Goofing off in the lobby before the movie! 

Sissy spent Wednesday-Saturday with YaYa doing their thing.(Sewing,crocheting,etc...)

On Saturday we decided to go to the park and have a picnic! 

We had lots of fun with Ya Ya and then we left Brother with her!! Ha Ha 

We finished up the weekend with baseball practice, Big Daddy took his girls on a date night to our favorite Mexican restaurant and a trip to Wal-mart for some Spring stuff(new welcome mat,etc..) and Sunday was a day of relaxation! 

Sissy said that it was the best Spring Break she ever had(this is her 3rd) so I am happy with that! Great week! Bring on Summer! :-) 

*CAMPING*

This past week my family and I went camping in Cades Cove. One of my most favorite places to go!

Cades Cove is an 11 mile loop in an isolated valley in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park that you can drive,walk, or bike. Along the route are hiking trails and many Historical Buildings!Lots of breath taking views and wildlife! Although I have been going here since I was little, I still enjoy it just the same, and I enjoy taking my kids there too.


My family recently bought a pop-up camper and this was the first camping trip of the Summer!

And this, my friends is Cades Cove...

Cades Cove is an awesome place to see wildlife in it's natural habitat instead of visiting a zoo!

Although I love going to Cades Cove to see the Wildlife, nothing makes me madder than seeing people feeding these animals even though there are signs every where saying not to. Also when people approach them AS IF they were at at a Petting Zoo! On this trip we saw a Momma Bear with 2 cubs. Lots of people out of their cars to see this, but what got me was one Dad. After the momma bear crossed the road he thought it was a good idea to push his children in the middle of the road(in between Momma and Cubs) so they could look both ways and see the animals. His car was parked I know a good 100 yards away...You just want to scream.."Are you an Idiot" at people like this. "You are in their environment, if she got mad that you were in between her and cubs she could charge, and their is no where for you to go with those kids!!" Arghh! OK, off soap box and back to camping trip!

Honk Honk! Let's go People!

This is the life!

Older Brother

Big Daddy eating pancakes for first time in 10+ years...to MY surprise

BEAUTIFUL

Sissy and YaYa made Beans and Cornbread! YUM!

This is Katie, Sissy's friend she met while camping and new pin pal buddy! 

Sissy stayed the longest with YaYa and Papa. She rode her bike a lot and walked around the campground getting sticks and logs for the fire. She helped YaYa cook and helped keep everything cleaned up. She said it was an awesome way to start the Summer and she can't wait to go again!

This tree is one of my favorite things on the entire loop! If I was not so scared of bears I would have a picnic every time we went under this tree! :-)

I love Cades Cove and I love camping. Just taking a step back and slowing down from every day life!*I want to thank YaYa and Papa for letting us join them!
*I also want to thank my Big Brother Timothy for these great pictures! He has such a good eye!! :-)