It's Over can I hear an Amen?

     Well, it's over!! Yippee!!!! Sorry to all those out there, that I might offend, in advance. What stress this year, and I am not sure why?, because I jump headfirst with both feet into the Christmas Spirit. Jeff, my husband was not at all in the Christmas Spirit, so it was tough to carry it for the both of us. Last night, was the first time, I actually heard him hum a Christmas song all year, maybe it was a hum of relief.

     When my children were babies, we could fill up the living room with useless plastic toys as far as the eye could see. Crazy stupid thing about that is, the plastic took up room, making it impossible to move around. I remember one year, actually contemplating standing in line at O' dark thirty to run with the rest of the cattle, to the toy section to do battle over the "Tickle Me Elmo" doll. My son was only 2, and did he care, whether he could tickle Elmo or not?, no, I did. Wow, do you see the insanity in that?

     My sons are older now, and that six year gap between them is becoming less of a headache issue. When they were younger, there was almost always a huge dramatic meltdown from my youngest, because my oldest got_______(fill in the blank). We would say, "Well, Casey is older and more responsible with his toys, when you are older, then maybe you will get something like that". Very frustrating for the parents, because somehow, you feel that you are dropping the ball. Hardest job, hands down in my life, being a parent.

     This year, was a great year for my youngest, because we felt that he was ready for toys that we forbid him to have in years past, because of the responsibility involved. That was the highlight of Christmas for me, the maturity and gratitude he showed us, was a gift, far more valuable than anything money could buy.

     The only flaw to an otherwise perfect day, was that I ignored my father's advice started right into something, that I should have researched more. Now, I won't buy a TV, without reading all the consumer ratings and comparing all my options, but I will blindly, barrel into hooking up a piece of equipment that I really should have researched. My father bought my family for Christmas, a wireless broadband router, that sentence alone~is confusing. Well in my defense, it did say "Easy system setup" on the box. But nothing can be further from the truth. I managed to clear the room out in 30 seconds. I not only watched the setup CD once, but numerous times in between the plugging and unplugging of the cables.

     I called the company twice, and unfortunately the poor tech support guys were foreign, so we already were handicapped from the beginning. I am sweating, I have a raging headache, no one wants to be around me, and come Hell or high water, WE WILL HAVE WIRELESS!! After the 4th attempt at the directions, Amen it clicked, it worked. I ran through the house trying to get someone to validate that it worked. My oldest who plays Playstation3 with his buddies across town, flashed me a huge smile and said "Mom, I never had 100% connection", because we were pirating some one's wireless, that lives around us. Wow, is all I could say, I had given myself a migraine, and I still needed to look at the Kindle.

     My parents finally called later, and the depth of my brain function left was to watch the "Tooth Fairy", with my youngest son. It was nice, just to mindlessly stare at TV, not being responsible for anything. Whew, glad it is over. Amen!

     Tonight, we are back on casserole schedule, to begin saving for my oldest son's first car. He is eligible for his learner's permit in March, and I am hoping to medicate myself heavily, to avoid any further involvement, than just putting him on my insurance policy. I was the worst driver ever distracted and driving correctly never was a priority for me. In life, Karma comes when we least expect it, as a teen I had a total disregard for the rules of driving, and since an accident in 2001, I have developed a phobia with driving, that I struggle with every time I have to go somewhere.

     Tonight, we are having my favorite Cheesy Chicken Pot pie, it is quick, easy and tastes good. With a little salad, you have a complete meal.

1 package chicken breasts, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
6 stalks celery, sliced on the bias(diagonally)
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 red pepper, diced
5 small red potatoes, diced, cooked and cooled
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1 can Campbell's cheddar soup
1 bag of frozen cauliflower and broccoli mix
1 8oz block Velvetta
2 cans cresent dough
3 ozs butter
pan spray

In a saute pan over medium heat melt the butter and add the garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes, add the celery and red pepper, cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until there is no pink in the chicken. Add the cooked potatoes and frozen cauliflower and broccoli and cook for 5 minutes or until the frozen mix has somewhat thawed. Add both soups and mix well, add Velvetta and turn down flame. Simmer and mix until the cheese has melted. Spray a 13x9 pan with pan spray, add the contents of the saute pan and cover with the cresent dough. Bake in a 350F oven until the cresent dough is golden brown. Make sure the bottom level is cooked, because sometimes the dough underneath is not cooked. Enjoy and enjoy the money you saved. ;)

Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.~ Charles F Kettering