Bah! Humbug!

I think I am giving Scrooge a run for his money!

It's no fun to come down with a really bad cold 3 days before Christmas...

When I just started my shopping 2 days ago (don't ask)...
When "things" are far from ready...
When it's our first year back "home" for Christmas in 4 years...
When Emily wrecked her car (she's okay, she simply slid into a curb and did LOTS of damage to the car:) and we spent several hours resolving that issue. Taking care of that kind of stuff doesn't stress me...life happens. And she is okay, which is the really, really important part.

I've just started crossing things off the list...

Clean house (why is that always the first thing to go?)
Make cookies and candy
Relax, have fun, don't be stressed (I crossed that one out with a vengance).
(There will be more lines drawn through my neatly detailed list, I'm sure of it).

I want to drink a whole entire bottle of Nyquil (not really, I'm kidding) and crawl into bed and sleep for days. But I have to take the now vehicleless girl to work bright and early tomorrow AM because the rental car won't be ready until tomorrow afternoon.

Next year...Next year will be The Year! :) This year is one to simply survive.

Earlier today, a kind, elderly man cheerfully told me; "Hang in there, it's almost over." What a lovely, Christmas sentiment! :) I'm sure it will be appearing on all sorts of Holiday Decor next year!

Thanks for listening to me ramble and whine...

Do You Have Room?

Songs by Shawna

It's About Time!!!

For some new family photos!

We haven't had family pictures done since Emily was 10 or so. Pathetic, I know!

I was waiting to get skinny...but since that hasn't happened...well, here we are!

Yes, I have gray hair. (But Rick has more than me!)

Yes, I have a small head and big (we prefer the term humongous) b***s

Maybe I'll do some cropping and editing...:) or maybe not.

There are a couple more that turned out okay, but I think 2 will suffice...

At least we now have a family picture that includes Shane!

We Have A Winner!

Even though this was just a small giveaway, I now know why everyone uses random.org to choose their winners!

I thought it would be "fun" to have an old fashioned drawing...and random.shane is
cute.


What was not fun, was trying to get the drawing done while trying to:
Fix dinner
Put up the Christmas tree
Rearrange the house (what?)
Get Shane to bed
Be happy (I got a little grouchy in the midst of all the chaos...just sayin')


But now...I am ready to announce the winner! :)


Congratulations, ikkinlala...you win this time around! (throws confetti, blows horn).

Email me your information, including what 3 scents of soap you would like, at
allthepiecesofme(at)live(dot)com

My Family's Favorite Meal

Yes, yes...it's another recipe.
We had this for dinner tonight, and I thought it interesting that I had never shared our favorite dish...and I do mean favorite.

So, I present... Chicken Broccoli Casserole (also known as Chicken Divan). We call it CBC for short. Whatever you call it...it's delish. Everyone in the family loves this, but it is hands down Emily's favorite food in the whole entire world.

My kids are funny, because when I make this they can become quite "terrotorial" over it.
They will argue about who is eating too much...who gets the leftovers...etc.

They will hide leftovers from each other, finding creative ways to disguise it in the fridge. One time, Emily took the leftovers to a friend's house so no one else would get them. To avert bloodshed, I've started making extras so there are plenty of leftovers for everyone!

It will be enjoyed for breakfast and lunch tomorrow by everyone who is quick enough to get their hands on the remaining stash.

Emily was gone today, but when I got home from church she had left a bowl on the counter for me to fill with leftovers for her to take to work tomorrow.

So, yeah. Pretty much my family's favorite meal. Ever.


Chicken Broccoli Casserole

4 chicken breast halves
1 (16 oz) package frozen broccoli (we prefer chopped broccoli)
1 cup shredded cheese
6 cups cooked rice

Sauce: (Mix together)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder

Place chicken in pan and cover with water. Season as desired (salt, bay leaf etc.) Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Cool and shred or cut into small pieces.
Cook broccoli according to package directions, until crisp/tender.
Spray a large cooking dish (10x15) with cooking spray.
Spread cooked rice in the bottom of the pan.
Top with chicken pieces, and then broccoli.
Pour sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly & cheese is melted.

*I usually use 1 1/2 bags of broccoli. And I just throw enough chicken on to make a nice layer. And I was a little heavy on the cheese tonight...you can adjust the recipe to your liking.
(This makes a big pan full...and yet I still have to make another small pan!!!)

*Also, just a few more hours to enter my giveaway. Midnight tonight is the cutoff. (Closed)

Just A Little...Giveaway

My sister in law has been making this fabulous Goat Milk Soap. As soon as I tried some, I knew I had found something fantastic for a little blog giveaway.

I have never been a fan of homemade soap, but this soap really is awesome. It has a nice lather, and goat milk is a great moisturizer. I have even used this on my face with great results!

What's up for grabs? 3 bars of soap (scents to be chosen by winner) and one handcrafted, wooden soap dish.

How to enter? Well, I'm making it super easy. Just leave a comment and your name will be entered in the drawing. Follow my blog and your name will be added a second time. I will be using random.shane to choose a winner. :)

You have until Sunday, December 6th to enter. Winner will be announced on Monday, December 7th.

Available Scents:
Honey Oat (My favorite~ great for dry skin)
Lavender
Cinnamon
Ginger Citrus
Peppermint
Chocolate Mint
Eucalyptus
Eczema Bar (Available soon)

You can also check out the website, which is still under construction...but she has some great pictures! Udderly Fresh Soap

So remember, for 2 chances to win...
*Leave a comment
*Become a follower (does that sound right? Become a follower? Really???)
*Contest ends Sunday, Dec. 6th at 12:00 p.m.

*I am not receiving any form of compensation in exchange for this giveaway, it is simply for fun.

Mango/Pomegranate Salad

I was so excited when I saw pomegranates in the store again! This is such an awesome salad, and it is so pretty and festive for the holidays.
This was served at our Relief Society Christmas Dinner last year.

Mango/Pomegranate Salad

Spring mix or Romaine lettuce or a mixture of both

Equal parts raspberry vinaigrette and balsamic vinaigrette, mixed together (1/2 a bottle of each for a small crowd)

Mango, cut and chopped (Go HERE for a great tutorial.)

Pomegranate Seeds (Tutorial HERE )

Sweet onion, very thinly sliced

Whole almonds, roughly chopped

Mix all of the ingredients together. Toss with dressing to coat salad.

*My notes:

There weren't any actual measurements, so I used a large bag of salad, 1 pomegranate, 1 mango, 1 onion, and about a cup of almonds, and not quite a bottle of the dressing (the 1/2 and 1/2 mix). So, you can adjust the measurements the way you like. Add more mango, more pomegranate, whatever you want!

You can buy pomegranate seeds and already cut mango pieces at Costco. Just in case anyone wants that option! :)

Also, this salad doesn't keep well, it gets soggy after you add the dressing. Next time I make it, I'm not going to toss it with the dressing, I'll let everyone add their own dressing to their salad.

(Sorry about the spacing...still having issues with that!)