10 Pounds of Cubed Steak - 12/20/08 07:52 PM
How does ten pounds of cubed steak and gravy sound to you? I soaked it in buttermilk then pan fried it, then made the gravy. Part of our family is here with us from Pennsylvania and they requested cubed steak and gravy instead of the traditional turkey and dressing meal. There will be ten of us for our meal tomorrow - wonder if we will have any leftovers?
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Home for the Holidays - 12/20/08 07:48 PM
We have a house full of family! The kids a playing hide and seek in the bedroom, some of them are playing games at the table in the breakfast room and some are crashed in the den infront of the TV. We are all going to church in the morning, then having our Christmas meal, then our Christmas present exchange then off to see the lights at Roper Mountain.
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Cookies for Christmas - 12/20/08 07:44 PM
Peanut Butter Cookies
 Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
Mix all ingredients together, and roll into a ball. Pinch off small portions of mixture and roll into small balls. Place the small balls onto a cookie sheet. Use a fork to press the cross on top of the cookie.
 
Bake at 325 degrees or until brown.
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Holiday Parties - 12/19/08 11:46 PM
We went to a cool holiday party tonight with some of our friends. We had a good time talking to people we have not seen in a while and meeting new people. The food was really good. They had a firepit outside and we stood around the fire and talked and laughed. It was a great night.
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Christmas Programs - 12/18/08 09:07 PM
What are your favorite Christmas TV programs and movies? Some of our friends have movies that they watch together every year as a family tradition. Do any of you have similar traditions. Some of our family members still enjoy watching Rudolph and Frosty. My wife still loves Charlie Brown. For me, it's the famous, "You'll shoot your eye out!"
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Crazy Winter Weather - 12/18/08 09:02 PM
It was over seventy degrees today in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the middle of December. It felt like a balmy spring day in the middle of April instead of December. It has rained for so many days that the weather today was more than welcomed. We have really needed the rain, since we were in a drought situation this summer and our water was rationed.
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It's All About the Box - 12/18/08 08:58 PM
It's really amazing how important having the right size box is this time of the year. Sometimes I think that we should only buy presents that come with boxes. Don't you just love the ones that are odd shaped and you have run out of boxes. We had several boxes that were purchased flat and you just pushed them into place, they were cool.
Merry Christmas!
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The Dreaded Wrapping is DONE!!! - 12/16/08 11:37 PM
We just finished the gift buying and wrapping routine for another year! The wrapping is not a fun thing to do. Making sure that you get the right tags on the right gifts - the wife wanting everything color coded with just the right papers - it can be tough!
I am very glad that the wrapping is finished and we are now ready to just enjoy our friends and family.
Merry Christmas
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How Do You Know It's Really Fixed? - 12/11/08 07:03 PM
When you call a contractor or other trade professional to your home to repair something, how do you know if the repair is really fixed?
First of all, if it is really fixed, then the problem should have gone away. The symptoms should disappear. If you continue to have the same problem then it is not fixed and you will have to call the contractor to return to your home to work on your problem again. Sometimes the contractor shows up and really does repair your problem and unfortunately sometimes you are unable to get in touch with the contractor.
First … (0 comments)

And The Thunder Rolls - 12/10/08 10:09 PM
Thunderstorms and Christmas decorations, who would imagine the two of these together, it just can not be right. It is hard to believe that we could have a tornedo watch today and thunder storms tonight after we have put up all the Christmas decorations. Our weather has really changed over the past several years.
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South Carolina Brokers License - 12/10/08 09:54 PM
My wife just got her South Carolina Brokers license. She went to the classes, studied big time. I am really glad that it is over with. There is a lot more to the brokers test than you would realize. You need to calculate how much concrete is needed to pour a walkway with specified dimensions. The math portion of the test is tough. There is also a lot of real estate law on the test, not to mention the South Carolina or what is called the State portion of the test. Believe me, I know, I helped her study for the … (0 comments)

Check All of Your Windows - 12/09/08 07:27 PM
Now is a great time to check all of your windows to make sure that the caulking is in good shape. Just do this while you are putting up your holiday decorations. It is amazing how much heat you can lose around your windows. A lot of people are not aware that caulking is not a permanent product. It should be checked at least every two years. It will break down due to the weather. Also check the flashing around your chimney. Another good thing to check is the weather stripping around your doors. Heating is too expensive to let it … (0 comments)

Getting Ready for Winter Part 2 - 12/09/08 07:22 PM
Now is also a great time to get your yard tools cleaned, repaired and ready for next spring. You will be so glad that you have already done this next spring when you start you spring projects and your tools and equipment is clean and ready to go. This is also an excellent time to have your lawn mower serviced.
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Getting Ready for Winter - 12/09/08 07:19 PM
Now is a good time to get your yard ready for their long winter's nap. Now is the time to cut back all of your perennial plants and to get all of those bushes trimmed and lighted. This is also a good time to wash your windows and check the caulking to stop heat loss. Every thing that you do now will really pay off next spring.
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Hanging The Greens - 12/09/08 07:11 PM
We just finished hanging our wreaths and window dressings on our windows. We do this every year then set the spot lights. We cannot get over how much mess that the wreaths and the garlands make. It is like the artificial wreaths and garlands are messier than using fresh greens. We really enjoy having our house look good for the holidays.
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A Christmas Sleigh - 12/09/08 07:06 PM
A few years ago I made us a Christmas sleigh out of wood. It is really cool because it comes apart and you can store it flat. It is made out of 3/4" plywood then painted black and sealed with a clear coat. We use it every year beside our Christmas tree in our family room. We fill it with Christmas presents and set a wooden reindeer in front of it. We have really enjoyed it for several years now.
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Is It Really Fixed - 12/09/08 11:21 AM
I recently posted a blog about making the wife happy. It was a blog about a holidaylights fixer gadget. It worked great. My wife used it and was thrilled with the results. It's great if you only use it one time per string of lights. She used it over once on a string of light and they flashed and every bulb burned out. The bulbs didn't just turn black they turned a shiny metallic silver. The gadget is great but we would not recommend that you use it more than once per light string.
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Can We Take the Stress Out of Christmas? - 12/08/08 10:28 PM
We have grown up being told that this is the happiest time of the year. Is it? We usually run around like crazy people trying to get the gifts bought and wrapped, decorate the house, cook the food and then comes the big day and we do the Christmas dash!
One way to take some of the stress out of the season is to decide what you are going to buy, set a budget and buy early. This way you don't just run out and buy something!
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Mountain Get Away - 12/05/08 09:08 PM
Last weekend we rented a cabin in Pigeon Forge and spent our Thanksgiving holiday there. We really enjoyed being able to have a place to watch movies and to eat home cooked food. We also enjoyed going to Dollywood and to the Dixie Stampede. But it was really nice to have a home cooked breakfast in a family setting instead of having continental breakfast at a motel.
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Another Story About the Mountain House - 12/03/08 06:27 PM
This is another story about our mountain house in north western, North Carolina. We have a moisture problem at this house. It is close to a creek and two small ponds and the whole area is moist. We found a product called "Damp Rid" at Ingles. It comes in two different dispensers. There is one that is a bag and hangs in the closet. The bag is divided into two sections. The top half has crystals in it and melt as they absorb the dampness and are collected as a liquid in the lower part of the bag. The other container … (0 comments)

A Simple Solution - 12/03/08 01:11 AM
One of the many houses that we have lived in and remodeled over the years needed more cabinet space. We decided to move the refrigerator and added additional lower cabinets. We were able to match the cabinet doors by using the doors from the laundry room that just happened to match and were the right size. Since we moved the refrigerator the upper cabinets were short. We went to Lowe's and looked at the cabinet displays and there was the answer. We bought a piece of shelving board and some dowels, went home and made a plate rack. I worked with … (0 comments)

Low Sodium Diet - 12/02/08 11:45 PM
I have recently gone on a low sodium diet because my blood pressure was high. You would not believe how much sodium is in canned foods. I was eating a bagel for breakfast, because you would think it was healthy. Check the sodium count on the bagel label and you will be shocked. Also, check the labels on any pre-packaged food products they are loaded in sodium.
Does anyone have any good low sodium recipes?
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Christmas Chaos - 12/02/08 11:37 PM
How many people do you know that have Christmas Traditions? Most people run around trying to buy all of the right gifts and all of the stuff to cook the perfect meal and of course wear themselves out making sure they have the most perfect decorations. We are usually sick every year either before or right after Christmas. We wear ourselves out running around trying to have the perfect holiday. Wouldn't it be better if we concentrated on spending more time with each other and doing things to make memories?
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How Much Should You Spend? - 12/02/08 10:55 PM
How much do you have to spend to buy the right gift? The right or best gift is realizing what the person you are buying for really wants. You need to listen to what they are saying. My wife was always out of batteries. One year she found her stocking filled with batteries of every size. She had so many batteries, she had to make space for them in a kitchen drawer. It was a simple gift and it kept on giving all year and it was inexpensive.
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Christmas Gifts - 12/02/08 10:05 PM
How many people really put alot of thought into what they purchase for their friends and family - other than their children (they always tell you exactly what they want and usually where you can get it or order it online)? Do we just go into the stores and pick up something, just to cross another name off of our list and get on with all the other stuff we have to do?
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Morris Childs

Spartanburg, SC

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