w00t w00t booyah

Thank you so much, T-Mobile - for making this day an easy one.



Reach up - and drop that hand on that shoulder. Pat pat. WE MADE IT!

Merry Christmas all! - and next up?

NEW YEARS!

(Had to backdate these - Christmas Even Open House a total success, but I ended up doing it running a 102 temp both that day and Christmas, so any chance I got to lay down - I did - and didn't get these up on time. Enjoy them!)

Need something GF, vegan, will feed an army and they'd better love it?

Look no further than Seven Bean Vegetable Soup from Eight Cans (and a box)!

Go select your favorite seven beans - in the can - from the store. Me, I got a lot of generic brands that included garbanzos, black beans, lima beans, kidney beans and so forth.

Add a big can of seasoned diced tomatoes - me, I added the ones with garlic and onions.

Put all that in a big crockpot, drain the cans as needed to make it all fit - then top it off with enough good vegetable stock and season with a bit of pepper and Tabasco. Heat it up, serve it up with some crusty bread and it's GOOOOOD!

Enjoy - and welcome to Christmas. We made it!

(Had to backdate these - Christmas Even Open House a total success, but I ended up doing it running a 102 temp both that day and Christmas, so any chance I got to lay down - I did - and didn't get these up on time. Enjoy them!)

Need something GF, vegan, will feed an army and they'd better love it?

Look no further than Seven Bean Vegetable Soup from Eight Cans (and a box)!

Go select your favorite seven beans - in the can - from the store. Me, I got a lot of generic brands that included garbanzos, black beans, lima beans, kidney beans and so forth.

Add a big can of seasoned diced tomatoes - me, I added the ones with garlic and onions.

Put all that in a big crockpot, drain the cans as needed to make it all fit - then top it off with enough good vegetable stock and season with a bit of pepper and Tabasco. Heat it up, serve it up with some crusty bread and it's GOOOOOD!

Enjoy - and welcome to Christmas. We made it!

REALLY busy - and someone else got a clue and published a really good article this morning, so linking it:

Which tips will you try this season? How do you make the holidays a little more earth-friendly?

Enjoy - and see you tomorrow ALMOST THERE!

Once more, with feeling.

Go have dinner.



Go wash that out, soak the label off and dry it out thoroughly.

You could measure out a recipe's worth of cookie mix into that jar and attach a recipe - or you could just make up some cookies from what you have around the house.

Here's the cookie swap site from FoodNetwork, but also I've always found Epicurious' search engine to be good for finding things based on what you have - and what you can't have.

Me, I like spiced nuts. A lot. :9

Enjoy - and see you tomorrow!

Once more, with feeling.

Go have dinner.



Go wash that out, soak the label off and dry it out thoroughly.

You could measure out a recipe's worth of cookie mix into that jar and attach a recipe - or you could just make up some cookies from what you have around the house.

Here's the cookie swap site from FoodNetwork, but also I've always found Epicurious' search engine to be good for finding things based on what you have - and what you can't have.

Me, I like spiced nuts. A lot. :9

Enjoy - and see you tomorrow!

Not much longer - hold together everyone!

Is there anything wrong with wrapping a present in a windbreaker? Or putting a gift card inside a Mason jar?

What could be repurposed for gift wrapping?

How about making your own 'prize in the box of Cracker Jacks?' (Take a plastic bin, make kettle corn and hide the goodie in that.)

Maybe this will inspire you:



Enjoy - and see you tomorrow!

And if you're like me, you're looking around at piles of wonderful things and thinking:

Oh DAMN, I am out of money!

Cue the no-cash night, holiday edition. And it is a FAT edition, trust me.

The whole town is covered in lights - go for a walk and enjoy them. Go talk to your neighbors, and compliment them - it's a prime opportunity!

A lot of the fun is to be had on your own two feet. Use them. But stay out of the shopping malls - they call them 'mauls' for a reason.

Stroll through the Christmas tree lots, whether you need one or not. The smell alone is worth the trouble.

There's nothing wrong with taking advantage of a set of swings on a random playground. Middle of the night? SURE.

Clear out the books from this year and take them to the local library. They could use them, and you could use some time inside the library - win/win.

There's nothing wrong with listening to a Salvation Army Band play - this time of year, they camp out in Union Station in Los Angeles, at the far end where the acoustics are AMAZING.

If the weather is holding, just get outside and let the sun warm your face - take that slow, deep breath and let it out. A few times.

Smell the smells. Enjoy one of the few times of the year where *everyone* is comfortable singing in public and wearing amusing clothing. I swear, Christmas is getting sillier than Halloween these days. Even the cars are wearing antlers.

Risk it. Enjoy it. Get creative with it - but don't spend a cent.

See you tomorrow.

And if you're like me, you're looking around at piles of wonderful things and thinking:

Oh DAMN, I am out of money!

Cue the no-cash night, holiday edition. And it is a FAT edition, trust me.

The whole town is covered in lights - go for a walk and enjoy them. Go talk to your neighbors, and compliment them - it's a prime opportunity!

A lot of the fun is to be had on your own two feet. Use them. But stay out of the shopping malls - they call them 'mauls' for a reason.

Stroll through the Christmas tree lots, whether you need one or not. The smell alone is worth the trouble.

There's nothing wrong with taking advantage of a set of swings on a random playground. Middle of the night? SURE.

Clear out the books from this year and take them to the local library. They could use them, and you could use some time inside the library - win/win.

There's nothing wrong with listening to a Salvation Army Band play - this time of year, they camp out in Union Station in Los Angeles, at the far end where the acoustics are AMAZING.

If the weather is holding, just get outside and let the sun warm your face - take that slow, deep breath and let it out. A few times.

Smell the smells. Enjoy one of the few times of the year where *everyone* is comfortable singing in public and wearing amusing clothing. I swear, Christmas is getting sillier than Halloween these days. Even the cars are wearing antlers.

Risk it. Enjoy it. Get creative with it - but don't spend a cent.

See you tomorrow.

Home stretch! Or, if you're me - AAAAAAAAAA.

How about putting something on your outdoor trees? We put lights - but how about edible goodies the birds might enjoy?

You've got popcorn lurking in your cupboard, right? Cranberries are kind of pricey this year, but if you don't have popcorn, I feel sorry for you.

Don't discount rolling some pine cones in peanut butter, then birdseed.

We also have squirrels, so tying a string around some baby carrots and hanging those makes sense too. Not to mention some peanuts in the shell.

Get creative - post pictures - and I'll see you tomorrow!