The Perfect Gift for that Special Someone

I need to back up a few weeks. While everyone is excited and talking about Valentines Day, I'm still stuck on Christmas. Specifically, the gift I gave Mr. T this year...I called it the "Bucket of Fun" and it is what the name says...a bucket filled with fun things for us to do! After 16 years, two kids, a mortgage, a dog, work and everything else, it can be hard to carve time out of the day week month for each other. Mr. T loves to go out...dinner, movies, anything! It's not that easy to coordinate his call schedule with baseball, dance, school activities, and life. By putting this together, dates are planned and paid for...all we have to do is schedule the babysitter.

Here's the breakdown of what was in the bucket:

The Bucket...a refillable movie theatre popcorn bucket. We can take it to the movies and have it filled for $3.50 every time we go.

Movie Tickets...a booklet of $25 in coupons that are good for movie tickets and snacks. This should give us two movie dates.

Bowling Gift Card...I know its hokey, but we like to go bowling. This gift card will pay for our shoes and four games.

Dinner Gift Cards times Two...I included two gift cards to two different restaurants. We can add this with something else or just go out for a nice dinner.

Theatre Tickets I...I am excited about this. It is one of two things that had a specific date. Next weekend we get to see Frost/Nixon. He made sure to ask for the weekend off and the babysitter is already lined up...yay!

Theatre Tickets II...I'm even more excited about this date. In March we have tickets to see Damn Yankees. Friends of ours have tickets for the same night, so it will be a fun double date!

Zip lining...You read that right...Mr. T's favorite thing to do! While he is super excited, my palms are already sweaty!! I bought these from Groupon in the fall and they don't expire until the end of April. A few friends purchased them as well, so it will be a scary but fun group date.

Mr. T was thrilled with this! It was all about him and what he likes to do. When it comes to gifts there is always something we want or need for the house and let's face it, while 7 pallets of sod for your anniversary or new wiring in the living room for Christmas are great...this year it was about him. With a birthday in May, the bucket might need to be refilled then. Something tells me I might have started a new tradition!

Fill a bucket and give it to your loved one...

Rachel :)

The Best (Vegetarian) Tacos Ever...

The Smurfs winter break was three weeks this year, so a few days after New Years we packed up and headed for warmer weather...the beach? Florida? California? Nope...Texas! We definitely don't take your run of the mill family vacations...the kids have never been to Disney and we don't go to the beach all that much. My theory is that there are a lot of places I want to see in this great, big world of ours and it's not going to happen if we run to the beach or Orlando every chance we get. Last year for spring break, when all of our friends were packing their swimsuits, we packed our snow bibs and headed out west for a week of skiing and snow...

Our return trip didn't go exactly as planned when our airline overbooked our flight. While most people complain and groan when this happens, we took the bump, and were rewarded with another day in Colorado and eight round trip tickets to ANYWHERE they fly...oh yeah...Mr T. was fretting if we had made the right decision, and I was doing my happy dance. Everyone knows how expensive it is for a family of four to fly.

Fast forward eight months, and we were on our way to San Antonio, excited to catch up with old friends and soak up some wonderful culture. We walked a ton, saw even more, and ate our way through this great city.

Peas and Thank You



And while I know I will never eat guacamole as good as Boudros, I did come home and find a great recipe for Roasted Chic Pea Tacos. One of the BEST recipes I have ever made, it's a must have for the recipe book. I'm not a huge fan of meat (blah) and generally use black beans on my tacos, so I was super excited to have something new to try. Check these out...they are the best things you will ever put in your mouth!!

Rachel :)

Roasted Chic Pea Tacos via Peas and Thank You:

Our favorite way to eat chickpeas and quite possibly the best tacos ever.

Ingredients (8 tacos)

• 2 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. onion powder
• 1/4 t. dried oregano
• 1 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1 t. sea salt
• 1 T. lime juice
• 2 T. water
• One 14 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 8 organic taco shells (i.e. Trader Joe’s brand)
• Taco trimmings: shredded cabbage, tomato, guacamole, non-dairy (i.e. Daiya) or organic cheese, etc.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, salt, lime juice and water.
• Add chickpeas and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• Place chickpeas on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until chickpeas are slightly crispy.
• Prepare taco shells according to package directions. Fill with chickpeas and desired toppings.

Legos and Smiles :)

My little man loves Legos...as in really LOVES Legos. And while they are a wonderful and educational way to learn and grow, they are everywhere. I step on them, suck them up with the vacuum cleaner, kick them across wood floors, and silently say bad words in the middle of the night when they crunch under my bare feet. After Brainy Smurf's birthday, Christmas, and Hanukkah...I had a minor meltdown because the Legos in his room were out of control. I was never quite sure how to handle the growing amount until I saw this...

What can I say? I'm a sucker for good advertising. And this was great! It's called a Swoop Bag and it was designed for little ones that love legos. I immediately went to their web site to check them out. About five minutes later I was convinced that this would be the best way to keep all those Legos in one spot. He picked out a bag in Star Dust Blue and a few days later it arrived at our doorstep.

If you have kids, and your kids have Legos...go ahead and buy one. Fabulous. Wonderful. Well-Made. Easy. It is everything it says it is. We now have Legos in one place. And they stay in one place. This bag rocks my socks. Seriously.

But the smiles part of this isn't about the smile this bag brought to my face...it's about the smiles it brings to everyone else's face. A percentage of every sale goes to Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that gives smiles to children born with birth defects. This is such an important charity to my family that this year Brainy Smurf didn't get Legos from his grandparents. Instead, he got this...

Sometimes, life is all about legos and smiles...

Rachel :)

Chirstmas Card Pictures...

How many people stress about the picture that they put on their Holiday/Hanukkah/Christmas/New Years card? A few days ago I pulled out some decent clothes, moved the Chesterfield sofa from the bedroom to the backyard, and set up the tripod. Seriously...why is this such a difficult process...

I even tried to get a family photo, but apparently my neck was broken and the Smurfs were...



100 pictures and 20 minutes later I had a few good pictures of the kids...

another of the family..

but ended up using this...

happy holidays...

rachel :)

Thankful for Family

I need to backtrack a few weeks and share a few pictures from Thanksgiving. We love Thanksgiving at our house. And not just love it...but LOVE it. My mom has two sisters and one brother and everyone gathers at her house for a day of fun, food, and family...

did I mention my mom is a middle sister...

Gram with a few of her greats :)

my cousins beautiful daughter

how can one not love this BIG family

be thankful...

rachel :)

DIY Monogrammed Coasters

In my quest to make holiday gifts this year, I came across this idea from The Domestic Notebook. Since it is a few years old, and she doesn't blog anymore, I figured I'd share it with you from here...because its fabulous...and cheap...and easy...Perfect!

You will need:

travertine or other natural stone 4x4 tiles

a large stamp

small letter stamps

permanent stamp ink

felt pads

Before I started stamping the tiles, I wiped them off with a damp rag and let them dry. This gets any dust off :) ...

Step 1:

using double stick tape, cover a part of the tile to put an initial

Step 2:

Ink the large stamp and apply to tile

Step 3:

Remove paper square

Step 4:

Apply initial stamp

Step 5:

Let dry

Step 6:

Wrap :)

These are wonderful! Because I used a permanent ink, there is no need to apply any protective coat. And the natural stone absorbs the "sweat" from the glasses. I added felt pads under all 4 corners to protect any surfaces from getting scratched.

I think these will be great with my Homemade Vanilla...Happy stamping and coaster making!!!

Rachel :)

 

Let it Snow Vignette

In 2007 my favorite aunt started a Santa collection for us. It really is a great idea...she does this for her sisters and my sister and me every year. She labels them with the date, so I know if I'm ever missing one (I can't find 2008 this year...) I've started putting them in one spot which is currently over the china cabinet. While I have a few so far, I am looking forward to this collection growing every year...

ho ho ho!!!
Rachel :)

Burlap and Green Holiday Table

Here's my super cheap, super easy holiday table...

I used a scrap piece of burlap for a makeshift runner...

The 18" wreaths were on sale at Michaels last week for $2.49...

The candles came from Pier 1 and if I tell you how much they cost Mr. T will make me take them back...

The water goblets are from Tuesday Morning...

The plates are from the Dollar Tree...

And the monogrammed napkins I found on clearance at Steinmart...

I have a super-allergic to anything green Smurf. A few years ago we made the switch to artificial, which has kept him healthier, but has me decorating with fake greenery (not my favorite). This year, I snipped a few pieces of boxwood and tucked them into the wreaths to break them up a just a little...let the sneezing begin...

Rachel :)