Merry Christmas and Happy Pink Saturday!!

This week for Pink Saturday, Beverly suggested we share what we are doing today. We're traveling a total of 1200 miles this holiday season. We traveled from Omaha to Kansas City (my home) on Thursday. Last night we drove back home to Omaha long enough to rest our head on the pillow for a few hours. Today we're traveling to Darfur, Minnesota (Tim's home). I made sure to pack a few snacks and water. Nothing is open on Christmas day, unless you want Chinese food.

Despite the number of miles, it's been a wonderful holiday season for us. Justin and Lily with were with us for a few days. For the first time in five years, we saw my family and friends in KC for Christmas Eve. Today we're celebrating Christmas with Tim's mom and sisters.

Wherever you are or whatever you are doing today, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Day! Merry Christmas!

From The Good Life

There's still time to enter my $55.00 CSN Stores giveaway here!!

This past summer my Thursday posts were entitled "In My Garden". When the weather started to turn cold and the flowers were gone, my Thursday posts became "From the Good Life". This week, I'm so exicited to share an indoor gardening post.

This summer I bought a Meyer Lemon "Tree". I kept it outside on the deck until the nights became too cool. Since I brought it inside and put it in our west facing living room window, it seems to be doing well. The tree has had several blossoms. After the blossoms fell, I noticed what appeared to be the start of a lemon. The first one appears to be continuing to grow, there's a second and third one just starting out as well. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the largest one in the lower left corner.



The sunlight in this window must be perfect for tropical plants. This is the window our bouganvillea has been thriving in for three years! I wonder how long it takes a lemon to fully mature?

Peanut Butter Balls

Don't forget to enter my CSN Stores Giveaway here!!!

Even though I start my Christmas shopping early in the year. I never seem to have enough time for making holiday treats. There's so many recipes I'd love to make, those in my own recipe box, not to mention all of the delicious recipes my fellow bloggers have posted. Unfortunately, this year I think my only treat is going to be these Peanut Butter Balls. I am reposting last year's post for these delicious treats!!

What Christmas treat are you known for? You know that recipe you make every year and everyone asks you for this recipe. For me, it's these decadent Peanut Butter Balls. It doesn't get any better than peanut butter and chocolate.

I've been making these at Christmas since Justin was small. My recipe is scratched onto a piece of notebook paper, it has my son's scribbles and a phone message he took for me on the back. Too sentimental to rewrite onto a recipe card!

Peanut Butter Balls
1/2 cup butter
3 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 pound powdered sugar
8 ounces Hershey's chocolate bar
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate bits
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cake paraffin

Melt butter, stir in peanut butter until smooth. In a large bowl, combine rice krispies and powdered sugar. Pour peanut butter mixture over rice krispie mixture. Stir until combined well. Chill for at least one hour. Roll rice krispie mixture into balls approximately the size of walnuts.

In a double boiler or a bowl over a pan of boiling water, combine chocolate bar, chocolate chips, paraffin and vanilla. Stir until melted and combined.

Dip balls into chocolate mixture, making sure to cover all sides. Place on waxed paper to dry.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday's, Tuesday's at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

CSN Stores Giveaway!!

The great folks at CSN Stores have given me a $55.00 gift certificate for one of my readers (USA or Canada). CSN Stores has everything from a great tv stand to cookware. How to enter is simple!! Just sign up to be a follower of my blog and leave me a comment! If you're already a follower, thanks for following me. Leave me a comment and let me know and you're entered, too. I don't know about you but entering some giveaways is way too much work for me, so am keeping it simple.

I will pick a winner on December 31st! Good luck and thanks for entering!!

Favorite Holiday Song - Pink Saturday

Today on Pink Saturday, we're featuring our favorite holiday song. It's impossible for me to pick a favorite Christmas song. I love them all, from the fun ones like Rudolph or Frosty, to the traditional ones like Joy to the World or Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Instead I am sharing a song from my childhood. If you came to our house around Christmas time, chances are you'd hear this playing on the record player. My Dad's always been a bit of a jokester, this song, I Just Go Nuts At Christmas, was Dad's favorite.

What's your favorite Christmas song?

Pasta With Pesto, Potatoes and Green Beans

Are you ready for Christmas? My shopping is done but none of the wrapping. My goal this weekend is to finish everything by Sunday night, so I can enjoy the rest of next week.

Today's recipe is from sometime over the summer. Not sure why I haven't posted this one before because I loved this dish. Do you need a quick, easy dinner? If you're like me and you have pesto in your freezer, give this one a try.



Pasta With Pesto, Potatoes and Green Beans
Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

2 waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon salt
8 ounces cavatappi
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved
1/2 cup Pesto
Pepper
Directions
1.Peel and cut 2 waxy potatoes into 1-inch cubes; place in a large pot of water; bring to a boil.
2.Add 1 tablespoon salt and 8 ounces cavatappi or other short tubular pasta; return to a boil; cook 2 minutes.
3.Add 8 ounces trimmed and halved green beans. Return to a boil; cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes.
4.Drain; toss with 1/2 cup pesto; season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

From The Good Life

After a two week hiatius, From The Good Life is back! I'd intended to post this sooner but just didn't get it done!

Thanksgiving Day, as most of you were basting the bird and baking pies, we were heading west. We met my son Justin and his girlfriend Lily in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful, albeit chilly day. Southwest gave us a free cocktail because it was turkey day. The airport wasn't crowded and getting our luggage and rental car was a breeze!! Justin took us to a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at First Food and Bar in the Palazzo.

We stayed at The Signature Suites at the MGM. I would highly recommend staying there. It's a quiet, non casino hotel. We stayed in a junior suite. They're roomy, with a microwave, fridge and even a small stove. Does anyone cook while they're in Vegas? There's a small balcony with a view of the strip. It's not the kind of balcony you can sit on but great for checking out the lights of Las Vegas.

Lily and I had pedicures on Friday. We chose the Hot Stone Pedicure at Vdara. (You know the hotel with the death ray?) The chairs were amazing. You could recline them and adjust the whirlpool in the tub with the remote. Seriously, the best pedicure I've ever had. Thank You, Lily!!!


Friday night we went to see Penn and Teller at the Rio. Lily treated us to the show. (Thanks Lily!) Our tickets were in the fourth or fifth row. You know how the performers come out into the audience and pick people to go up on stage? Yes, you guessed it. Teller chose me to go up on stage. I was horified but what do you do? It was a magic act where he was pulling money out of a large tank of water and dumping it into a fish bowl in my lap. The coins came from everywhere, my ears, my glasses and my arm. When it finally ended, Teller handed me the fishbowl and a few pennies. After the show, I had Teller autograph the bowl. It's a great conversation piece on the bar in the basement. (Photo courtesy of Tim's iPhone.)


Saturday we watched the Missouri/Kansas game at Lagasee's Stadium in the Palazzo. Tim and I went and checked out the Pawn Stars shop, Gold and Silver Pawn. We were hoping to see Chumley or The Old Man but neither were there! We celebrated Justin and Lily's birthday with dinner at The Firefly. I chose the location in the Plaza hotel because they took reservations. Little did I know the Plaza hotel was closed for renovation. As we took the elevator to the second floor, I think we were all a little skeptical about my choice. Once we were seated and ordered white sangria, I felt much better about my decision. The Firefly overlooks the Freemont Street Experience light show. If you're in Vegas and have the chance to go there, it's worth it just for the Bacon Wrapped Dates. They were fabulous!


Monday, Justin and Lily flew back to Los Angeles. Tim and I drove up to Zion National Park. Although we only saw Zion, from the roads, it's beautiful. The night before Zion received a few inches of snow. I was a little leary of the roads in our non four wheel drive Mercury. I should have known there was no need to be nervous, afterall Tim grew up in Minnesota and knows how to drive in snow!

Vegas is always fun but sharing it with Justin and Lily created great memories!!!