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What’s For Dinner

Last night it was a three course meal at the

Alhambra Dinner Theater

Our first course choice was a Winter Kale Salad that was consumed so quickly there were no pictures taken!

For the second course…

LB enjoyed the

Holiday Feast

(hand-carved turkey, honey baked ham, cornbread stuffing, sweet potato soufflé, garlic green beans, turkey gravy, apple raisin glaze).

And for me it was the

Beef Bourguignon

with buttermilk mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus.

My usually carbs-free self ate every single bit of those mashed potatoes!

Third course…

Crème Brulée French Toast with whipped cream which LB enjoyed.

I ordered the Peppermint Cake, but it fell over, so the picture was discarded.  But the cake was Very Good!

As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite new Christmas traditions is go to the Alhambra Dinner Theater to have dinner and enjoy the Christmas production of the season.

This season Bruce Allen Scudder’s version of

A Christmas Carol

returned to the Alhambra.

Everyone loves Charles Dickens’ holiday classic story about Ebenezer Scroogethe ghosts who visit him…

and his miraculous transformation from an old, miserly curmudgeon to a new man bursting with joy and filled with Christmas spirit.

This is My Favorite Alhambra Christmas production!

The show begins with a lively song (POM, POM, POM, POM) that I’ve heard so many times I can sing along with the people of the town.  Then enters the star.  This year, Tod Booth as Ebenezer Scrooge settles into his work at his counting-house with his clerk Bob Cratchit, shivering close by. After a visit from nephew Fred and two impressive gentlemen collecting for charity, Scrooge returns to his home, where he finds that the evening’s visitations had only just begun.

There are actually four ghosts that follow and all are played by a single actor…

the talented Kenneth Uibel
I have seen this actor fall off of the stage and get back up without missing a line.

First Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley relates his unfortunate story of an afterlife of wandering the Earth weighted down with heavy chains.  In an effort to save Scrooge from sharing the same fate, Marley informs Scrooge that three spirits will visit him that night.  And as predicted, on that night Scrooge travels with the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and finally with the Ghost of Christmas Future.

I don’t know why am I telling you this… You KNOW this story!

As expected, Scrooge has a soft heart for the endearing Tiny Tim.  That and his desire to live brings him to display a miraculous change for all to see.

And as always, the audience comes to its feet during the closing number… afterward leaving the building with a heart filled with holiday spirit to share with others.

An incredibly fitting way to welcome with open arms the holidays…  I highly recommend the producation of A Christmas Carol and Dinner at the Alhambra.  We’ll be there!

Merry Christmas from LB and K!

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

Friday Favorites

I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier to see Friday!

It has been a crazy week!

But as always, there are positives to focus on which brings me to my

FRIDAY FAVORITES!

Favorite # ONE

If it isn’t bad enough that I can’t see anything in my closet anymore, I bought another pair of shoes to add to the pile.  But they’re just as cute as they can be!

Blue Suede Shoes

Kenneth Cole REACTION Women’s Fridah Fly Ankle Bootie in Navy. They also come in 6 other colors. The stacked 3.5 inch heel is unbelievably comfortable.

And I sound like a commercial.

You can check them out for yourself here.

 

Favorite # TWO

EBATES

My sweet friend Wendy told me that I needed to start using Ebates when I shop online.  I signed up at her suggestion and set the icon on my menu.  So, with nothing to lose, I joined in November and began clicking the Ebates link whenever I shopped at my favorite sites.  I just received my first Ebates check today.

This check was made payable to me for doing nothing other than clicking Ebates when I shop.

Love it!From what I’ve read it seems LEGIT to me…

I’m getting paid to shop (my dream job)!  We can both earn $25 if you join here or if you just want info, check it out for yourself here.

 

Favorite # THREE

Ms. G’s Jacket

We discuss shopping, MaryKay, shoes, and Brighton jewelry nearly every day.  This particular jacket came from a boutique that I am not familiar with, however, I’m always interested in learning about a new boutique.  Ms. G tells me that she purchased this cute little jacket at a boutique in San Marco… it is called

Bou’Tique 3:16

Ain’t she fancy?!?

 

Favorite # FOUR

Exciting news today!  I received a text from LB with a picture attached.

The text read:

Delivered!

Yes it is the theater chairs for my TV room!

YaY!

Favorite # FIVE

Saturday Night was date night and LB had purchased ticket for the production of Holiday Pops featuring the Jacksonville Symphony.
It is hard to believe how much I enjoyed this concert, but I’m still thinking about it!

If you haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy a performance by the Jacksonville Symphony, take time to look into seeing one of their performances.

 

Bonus Friday Fave…

 

 here is one more look at my Tiny Dancer Angel GlamBaby…

OMG

so Cute!

 

I hope your weekend is as wonderful as mine is going to be!

 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

XO

 

What’s Up Wednesday

Occasionally I will focus on a day of the week and random things that are associated with that day, mostly because I feel like posting something and nothing particular has come to mind.  In the past it has mostly been Tuesday.  But move over Tuesday, there’s a new day in town!

Today is:

What’s Up Wednesday

And it goes like this:

What We’re Eating This Week

I’ll tell you what we’re eating (one of us anyway).  Even as I focus on preparing Christmas Goodies to share, my diet consists of as many vegetables as possible.  Whether it is salad, stir fry veggies, cabbage, celery with Dijon mustard or (most important of all)… grape tomatoes!

And then there’s this:And then there’s LB who will remain eternally skinny no matter what he eats.

What I’m Reminiscing About

One of my Favorite Facebook features is “On This Day”

Today my “On This Day” memory was a Christmas picture of my kids taken a long time ago

and it seems like just yesterday.

What I’m Loving

I have stopped everyone to share the video of Lydia performing in her first Ballet Recital.  If I knew how to make it post to this site, I’d share it here too!  After all… that’s what Glammies do!

What a Precious Tiny Dancer

Here she is with her Mama, getting ready to perform

What We’ve Been Up To

Christmas shopping!

I’ve got my excel spreadsheet for Christmas 2017 setup to remind me (while I’m shopping) what I’ve bought, who it was purchased for, and how much I’ve spent.

What I’m Dreading

I’m not gonna lie, I don’t want to drive to work tomorrow.

I am SO OVER the traffic!

My Mama has always reminded me that “this too shall pass”.

I think about that as I

PASS EVERYONE I CAN

on my way to work!

speed go GIF

What I’m Working On

As I mentioned,  present buying and candy making.  And, of course going to work everyday.

And there’s the weekly East Coast Swing dance class that we (LB, myself, and all four of our left feet) are taking.

No pictures just yet.

What I’m Excited About

Setting up the TV room!

The TV has arrived, the furniture is expected to come this weekend!  I’m looking forward to watching movies on the big screen and setting up the Guitar Hero again!

What I’m Watching/Reading

I’m not reading much of anything except other blogs.  As far as watching, I am enjoying Fixer Upper, The Kitchen, and the fourth hour of the Today Show with Hoda and Kathie Lee… usually while on the treadmill.  This week as I relax in the family room at the end of the day, I’ve been flipping channels looking for the movie Scrooged (with Bill Murray).  It would be nice to see some Christmas classics during the holiday season.

What I’m Listening To

Right now I am listening to Christmas music courtesy of Alexa

“Here’s a station you might like”

It works out occasionally, but I will typically have to yell at her to stop!

Right now she is playing

“Santa Claus is Back in Town” by Straight no Chaser

Image result for "Santa Claus is Back in Town" by Straight no Chaser

What I’m Wearing

This week I’m wearing something warm everyday.  LB likes to document my daily outfits.

Unless he has to leave the house before me, LB will walk with me out to the garage each morning and snap a picture of me as I’m walking to my car.I’m usually in a bad mood, but he will always put a smile on my face

If for some reason LB is away, I will occasionally try to capture the OOTD myselfit isn’t as easy as it looks!

What I’m Doing this Weekend

Well there’s this concert featuring the Trans-Siberian Orchestra… that should be pretty awesome!

What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month

LB’s birthday is next month… AND I have that day off! WOO HOO!

What Else is New?

I think that pretty much sums it all up!

stephen thompson hello GIF

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

Christmas Candy Crush

This

 Candy Crush

has nothing to do with the sweet adventure of Tiffi and Mr. Toffee through the wonderful Candy Kingdom. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

My candy crush involves an activity I love… creating my annual assortment of Christmas treats. Typically I will include about five kinds of goodies, mostly candies, and will without fail involve divinity, dark chocolate fudge and sugar cookies.

I expected to begin on Saturday.

This was my plan:

For my first installment, I attempted to make

Peanut Butter Pinwheels

They are supposed to look like this

Sadly, the consistency of what was supposed to be “like pie crust dough”, was not. (Love how LB catches every moment)

It baffled me because I am accustomed to having success with this recipe.

Although I may appear to not have a clue,  I have made peanut butter pinwheels in the past with no trouble at all. LB suggested that I start over. Being stubborn as I typically am, I wasn’t about to throw 2 pounds of confectioner’s sugar away, so I improvised. Since the ingredients are basically the same ingredients used to make Buckeyes,
each “pinwheel” was lovingly rolled into a little peanut butter ball and placed on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator.

These are currently being stored in the freezer, until I have time to dip them in chocolate.

Although that turned into a royal pain, I am confident it will turn out to be a tasty treat.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making

Divinity

My Mema Reid taught me how to make divinity many years ago.

That time with her and her recipe will forever be in my memory.

However it would be wonderful if I had it in her own handwriting, like this recipeIsn’t that sweet?

Mema’s Divinity recipe is similar to Paula Deen’s recipe.

Mema was of the mind that it is impossible to make divinity on a rainy day and/or without a helper.

For the past few years Amanda has been my helper.

She recently asked when we were going to get together for divinity making, but due to our schedules, this will be my last entry into the assortment, and just barely in time for Christmas.
The sugar cookies will also have to be scheduled for late in the holiday season, as I will be needing Stephanie to help with the frosting/decorating.

LB is looking forward to that day, as he is the official beater licker.

My recipe for

Dark Chocolate Fudge

is the easiest recipe for fudge that I’ve come across yet. Thanks to Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk and a little book of recipes that I found in 1988. 

It is so easy, as a matter of fact, I’m going to make it right now.

Done!

For the rest of my collection of goodies, I’ll be making

Magic Cookie Bars

(also an eagle brand recipe found years ago)

because Wendy mentioned that she likes these (not that she’ll actually eat any).

and last but not least

Rum Balls

because they smell good.

Now that I have a definite Christmas Goodie Plan…

time to embrace the fat kid within!

Amanda

History was made on December 9, 1986 when a sweet baby girl came into the world!

She is my second born and I loved her the second I saw her…

Amanda Kristine Starling

arrived on a Tuesday at 6:06 PM weighing in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces and measuring 21 inches long.

It was in this stocking that I brought my Christmas baby home with me on the following day.

Her sister, Stephanie took to her right away…

mostly.

 

And they have been best friends ever since.

Amanda is my “middle child” whom I recognized in the post National Middle Child Day.  And as mentioned in that post, SHE IS an adventurer.

With each passing year, there was something new she wanted to try.

For example…

there was dance

then tee ball

baton

basketball

then piano lessons,

and running

traveling

Although Amanda has an extremely easy going personality, rarely showing excitement, she has always taken advantage of every opportunity to try something new.

She has just about done it all!

Amanda is a smart girl and one of the most self-motivated people I know.

It was Amanda that encouraged our homeschooling experience and accelerated into ninth grade school work with her older sister, so her teacher, aka Mom, would only need to manage one grade level.

Amanda graduated from high school as she was on the brink of earning her AA degree.

And went on to earn a Master’s degree… with honors.

Daughter, Granddaughter, Sister, Niece, Cousin, Aunt, Friend, Coworker, Adventurer, Athlete, Scholar…

Amanda has worn many hats

and the one that is most special…

simply my sweet baby girl!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!

I am proud to be your Mom!

Holiday Favorites

I love it when the Blended Blog posts a questionnaire!

Here’s a fun one about Holiday Favorites:

 

1. Real or Fake Tree?

Fake. Fake. Fake.

I have three of them!

No pics yet… the Christmas décor doesn’t come out until AFTER Amanda’s birthday (December 9th).

2. Favorite Christmas Cookie?

I LOVE these!These are officially on my Christmas Wish List!

3. Home on Christmas Morning or Travel?

NEVER have I had to travel to be with family at Christmas. My kids come to my house early on Christmas morning. After we exchange gifts at my house, we all walk next door to my Mama’s house. We will meet there with my sister and her family.  Most of the time my Grandpa will join us.  I am very blessed.

4. Clear or Colored Lights?

BOTH! With 3 trees, I can enjoy the white lights on 2 of my trees, and colored lights on the other.

5. Send Christmas Cards?

Sometimes… if I remember.

6. Favorite Christmas Present Received?

Every gift I receive is appreciated and enjoyed.

However there is one that comes to mind more quickly than any other…

Elvis.

You can barely see him hiding in the Christmas tree (yes, my tree is purple).

He was introduced in this post.

7. Favorite Christmas Present Given?

Along with Elvis, Aymie was introduced in this post.

It was a pleasure to hand the little fur-ball over to Stephanie on Christmas morning. 

There is nothing better than getting a little black kitten for Christmas!

8. Stockings or No Stockings?

YES STOCKINGS! Got to have the stockings!

9. Christmas PJ’s?

Nope.

Did it once, looked like an idiot in my pink reindeer onesie.

Then a picture appeared on FACEBOOK!

10. Favorite Christmas Carol?

All of the carols are beautiful to me.
Recently I heard 98° sing in at Christmas concert.  I left that concert with their new Christmas CD.  From that CD is their rendition of Mary Did You Know.
It is absolutely lovely.

11. Favorite Holiday Tradition?

There are two.

One is an old tradition; one is a new tradition.

It is tradition to meet with my family at Mama’s house for breakfast (English muffins with sausage and Velveeta) and gift exchange on Christmas morning.

LB and I have made a new tradition of seeing the Alhambra Christmas show every year. We have seen White Christmas, A Christmas Story, and the fabulous story of Scrooge… A Christmas Carol… multiple times.

12. Early Shopper or Last Minute?

Both. I started on Black Friday and will likely still be shopping for something on Christmas Eve.

13. Favorite Christmas Movie or Show?

It’s A Wonderful Life

My Daddy introduced me to this movie years ago.  I absolutely LOVE it!

14. Favorite Holiday Beverage?

All of them!

Here is a good Egg Nog recipe.

15. Cookies and Milk for Santa?

Of course!

A well fed Santa, is a happy Santa!

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Happy December 1st

and

Happy Friday!

It has been a restful week as I enjoyed some time off to spend with my LB.  Aside from a trip to the dentist office and a short case of the stomach flu, this has been a wonderful week.  But whether you work Monday through Friday or have the weekday free, there is something about the weekend that makes everyone smile.

To celebrate the coming of Friday (and December), here are my favorites this week:

Favorite # ONE

This

Furry Vest

from Classy Crossroads.

LB bought it for me on our annual “Celebration of Fall” trip that you can read about here.

I enjoyed wearing it again Thursday night when LB surprised me with…

Favorite # TWO

98°

in concert…

The handsome 90’s boy band is touring and sharing songs from their new Christmas album.I was surprised at how much I enjoyed hearing this group and watching them interact with each other.LB may have been the only man in attendance at the concert, but I was happy to have him there with me.

Favorite # THREE

White House Black Market

This women’s clothing store is quickly becoming my favorite place to shop.

In case you missed my post, here are some of my favorites:

Blush Pullover Sweater  // Embroidered Jeans (somewhat similar) // Floral Top (similar) and Jeans

Burgundy Blouse (similar) // White Blouse (similar) // Ruffle Sleeve Blouse and Jeans

 

Favorite # FOUR

St. Augustine’s

Nights of Lights

Photo by LB

Mentioned in my Tuesday post, this event dazzles the city of St. Augustine as approximately three million lights adorn the Plaza de la Constitucion and other areas of the historic district.  You can see all of LB’s pics and read my post here.

Favorite # FIVE

The

Jacksonville Baldwin Rail Trail

runs 14.5 miles from Imeson Road in Jacksonville to the Town of Baldwin.A 12’ wide paved trail currently exists for hikers, bikers and roller-bladers to enjoy.  An equestrian trail parallels the paved trail (source).   On Wednesday afternoon, LB and I loaded up our bikes and headed to the rail trail.

My suggestion would be to visit on the weekend as there are more people there biking and running.  You may feel a little less paranoid and not have to be packing heat.

(hee hee)

Its a City of Jacksonville favorite that you can read about here.

Favorite # SIX

 A suggestion to

Live Your Best Holiday Life for Less

by The Blended Blog

I will revisit these suggestions throughout the month in an effort to see how many I can check off the list.  I’ve already completed half of #5…

lets see if I can stick to it as I continue my Christmas shopping!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

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