Every year my eldest daughter gets everything she have on her wish list but this year Santa got her one thing out from her wish list. We feel so bad but we are out budget this year so as Santa but they still got a lot of little gift and some rewards from credit cards, coke and more and it really saved as this christmas. And Santa still got stuff for stocking so were good.

I thought I was ganna give up Santa but I my husband wants to save the spirit of Santa and its not for us to decide about her belief on Santa. This year it snowed non stop even christmas eve, we still tried to see Santa at the mall but when we got there the line was so long because everybody couldn't see Santa early this year because of the snow so the mall is pack. Well we went around just to see Santa from far and I told my elder daughter that just whisper from where we stand to santa on what she wants this year. Not sure if she did but that’s it we decided not to stand on the line to see Santa so we head to the Target store but soon after, we have to abandon them to our parents because shopping with them specially from S____ is not working.

My 9yrs old kid believe in Santa Clause even her friends told her that he's not real. No she said he's real. That night she have carrots for all the Santa's reindeers, milk and cookies for Santa and a letter in her night stand. She wrote him a letter because she didn't got to see him this year. We find it really cute and sweet.

In the country I came from kids belief are different. Most of them are liberated about this stuff. But I, when I was a kid I believe Santa helps our parents so they can buy a gift for as or just something for christmas and new year. And even when they can't afford gift we are still happy and our christmas is always merry and we are healthy and that’s all that matters. Traditionally we have a fest on christmas eve and after midnight and we can't afford to cook a lot of food for the fest we make sure we have bread and peanut butter but every after midnight our neighbors, and relatives comes and bring us food to share. Now that’s what you call Giving which is Christmas is what is all about. And we thanks God and Santa for helping our family all the year.

Fake Plastic Christmas Tree Vs Real Christmas Tree

Traditionally my husband's parents buy live christmas tree every year and spend about $75.00. So when I moved in here in the US my husband would bring us to a tree farm to cut live christmas tree and he wants it tall which the taller it is the more money you pay. I don't agree with that. How can you spend too much money to kill a tree and throw it on the new year's day? My husband would answer me " it's tradition".

There is one thing I don't agree too, most people getting rid of their tree on the new year's day. I really hate it. In the country where I came from we don’t take the christmas decoration down until three kings day which is January 6, after twelve days of christmas or after Chinese new year which is January 26 this year. I hate the fact that you spend 1 to 2 weeks to decorate just to take them down right away. Plus christmas tree farm don't open after thanksgiving day. Its really weird, don't want to know the reason either.

Recycle company sometime offer to put peoples christmas tree out at their door and they'll pick it up for free to recycle or sometimes just $1.00 for donation or pay up to $10.00. Woo hooo its great if you don't have a place to throw it but certainly not getting rid of the tree on the new year's day.

Well the advantage of a fake christmas tree is if it the nice expensive one which almost the same price as the real one can last longer for few years use it over and over again but the cheap one like those have plastic legs will possibly not. The first plastic christmas tree I bought for $20.00 lasted 1 week. The leg broke off and it wont stand any more but I'm okey with it because my plan was to hang it upside down on the porch. Unfortunately the plan did not went well because the branches were not attach to the main body, you have to hook them individually in which when you turn it upside down all the branches will just fall out. I tried to find a way to make it work so I actually tied them to the branches so it wont fall out and it work and I will never do that again because I have to untie all the string to put the tree pieces back in the box an its pain in my behind. An ohhh can't hold big heavy tree top décor. I ended up using the smallest and the lightest tree top angel.

About the real christmas tree's advantage is it can hold a lots of ornaments even the heavies one. Unlike the fake one my big star for the tree top holds it very well. I can put big star on top and all of my glass ornaments. My friends friend same as me like the fake tree but her reason is that her real tree doesn't hold heavy ornaments so she told her husband that she will buy a fake tree next year instead of a real one. Well if she got the Fraser Fir will definitely holds all of her ornaments plus its not much fuller or kinna jungle inside. She needs to take some time to shop for christmas tree. It takes a whole family to find the perfect one. Well I guess she went by herself.

I know now that fake christmas tree wont hold heavy ornaments because of its wire branches. It bend very easily so you can only put the heavy ornaments deep inside the big main branches and the light ones on the tip. Fake christmas tree divided into 3, bottom part, middle part and the top part. Well the top part only have this wire long branches and kinna scary to put heavy ornament up there the wire might broke off. Depending on what type of the fake christmas tree you got. The wire cover ones or the ones that all plastic, comes with white christmas tree too. Well I got the wire ones.

Either way they have good and bad advantage, which ever works for you on that year.
If you think having a real christmas tree is messy so as the fake one, the needles fall off too but not much as the real one specially when you have cat.
Pretty soon I have to put them away so I'm really looking forward to it, see how bad it is to put away compare to the real one. I'm hoping the branches well still intact by the time I'm done taking all the christmas lights and ornaments. Wish me luck.

My Cristmas Tree 2008

Today every body struggle to saved money as much as possible so I suggested my husband not to buy a real live chrismast tree this year, lets just use plastic christmas tree since we have one already from his grandmother which is brand new and never been use. Well he still insist that he will buy a live one but unfortunately buying it is out of the budget so I won. After ten years of convincing him to just forget the old passion and get plastic, his response as always, "its ugly" which I fine it not true. In the country where I came from we don't have live christmas tree so we always use plastic.

I put the plastic tree up and wrap it around with about 23 strings of christmas lights then everybody was so amaze how pretty it is. It look so real, specially when its as tall as the live tree we normally buy which is 7-8 feet tall and normally cause about $75.00 and can last up to 2 weeks after new year depending on how many times you water it everyday, sometimes it dies before christmas. Well it was look so real from far until you touch the needle then you can tell it's fake but who cares, if you can't afford new one, suffer. My Husband told me that we can use it even next year or the year after until it start to fall apart. I said sure, good enough for me.

Anyway me and my daughter decided to put a fake snow on it out from a stuff toys stuffing and it definitely went from fake to real christmas tree full of snow like the trees outside our yard. In where we live we don’t really get snow and if snowed it can only get less than 5 inch deep. This year it start snowing 1 week before christmas and it continued snowing for 1 more week and our christmas was definitely white christmas.

Fake Christmas tree is not so bad after all.

After you bring the tree home you cut it in an angle so it can drink more water, then you have to leave it inside the garage for a week on the tree stand then you bring it inside, then water it every day.

Mashed Potatoes

4 Potatoes ( peeled and 4 quarter cut)
2 tablespoon butter
1/8 cup of milk
Salt and pepper

Add potato on a pot of water and cook potatoes until soft but not mushy. Drained then put the potatoes back to the pot. Add butter, milk salt and pepper to taste. Mash the potatoes with potato masher until no more lumps. Serve with gravy or sprinkle a shredded cheddar cheese on top for kids.
You Can add more milk if desire.

You can cook more potatoes just add more butter, milk, salt and pepper.

Dinosaur And Chicken E-Painting

Woman's Face E-Painting

Cat E-Painting

Apple Muffins

2 Finely chopped apples ( cored, peeled )
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon white sugar
1/3 cup cocoa ( Hershey cocoa )
1/4 cup butter ( melted )
1 cup applesauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg


Directions
In a bowl combine cinnamon, sugar and apple together and blend until mix well.
Melt the butter in another bowl and slowly pour the cocoa and blend it well. Add applesauce and mix well.
In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients and pour the cocoa mixture into bowl and add the egg. Blend using big spoon until mixed.
Place the paper linen to the cup cake pan and place a 1 tablespoon batter each cups, add a 1 tablespoon apple mixture on top and press it down a little then top each cup with the rest of the batter.
Bake at 375 degree for 21 to 25 minutes or when you insert a toothpick comes out clean.

Home Made Regular Biscuits

2/3 cup of milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour

Pour milk into measuring cup add the oil (do not stir)
In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients and pour the milk and oil liquid mixture.
Stir until it forms a ball with spoon. Put the dough on a waxed paper, lift the one corner of the paper and fold dough in a half to knead. Repeat until the dough looks smooth.
Put one more sheet of waxed paper on top of the dough and roll 1/2 inch thick, cut the dough with biscuit cutter or circular cookie cutter. Bake on ungreased baking sheet on 450 degree for 10 to 12 minutes or until brown.

Chicken Pot Pies

1 lb. cubed cooked chicken
1 can mix vegetable (16 oz)
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 1/2 cups milk
3 teaspoon of parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon of ground sage
1/3 cup flour
6 biscuits ( refrigerated biscuits from the store or the home made biscuits recipe uncooked)


Mix the 1/2 cup of milk and flour together until no lumps ( use electric mixer if necessary)
In a sauce pan pour the rest of the milk and bouillon cube and pour the flour and milk mixture.
Cook on a medium heat stir constantly until the mixture boils for 2 minutes. Add chicken , vegetable, sage and parsley
until hot.
Cut the biscuits into 4 pieces with scissor. Divide the hot mixture into six casserole dishes and top with the 4 cut up biscuits. http://tinkervealla.blogspot.com/2008/12/home-made-regular-biscuits.html

Put the casserole dishes into baking pan and bake at 400 degree for 13 to 15 minutes.