Au Gratin Ham and Potatoes in the crockpot

This is a very easy recipe and is so good on a cold day like today.





6 Cups potatoes, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 Cups cooked, chopped ham
1 Cup American cheese, shredded
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 Cup milk
1/4 tsp. thyme

In your crockpot, layer half each of potatoes, onion, ham and cheese; repeat layers. In a small bowl, combine soup, milk and thyme; pour over top. Cover, cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low setting and cook for 6 to 8 hours or until potatoes are tender.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

X mas ornament on tree
It's cold and blustery around here, we have a fire crackling away in the fireplace and the kids are wanting hot chocolate. I can't believe Thanksgiving is already over!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my mom's house. We all ate too much (as usual) and had lots of yummy leftovers to bring home for supper. Neither of my military sons were able to be home, but they were both able to call. They each got to have turkey and trimmings,but neither had pecan pie which is a favorite around here. I wonder if I could figure out a way to ship a pie? That will definitely be on my list of things to bake when they finally get to come home.

Did you all go shopping yesterday? I went for the 6th year in a row with my mom, although we didn't get out quite as early as we did last year. We enjoy spending the day together and finding bargains. Plus she always treats me to Starbucks which I love. I almost never go because it's hard to justify spending more than $3 for a cup of coffee. I got my favorite non-fat, sugar free vanilla latte. Delicious!

I got some GREAT deals at CVS (and walked Mom through a few good deals too), but I'll have to post about that later. There are some things I bought that the kids can't see and I want to have pictures of everything. Maybe I can take some pictures after they go to bed tonight. I will just say that in 3 separate transactions I bought about $130 worth of goodies and only spent about $9 out of pocket, plus I have a fair amount of ECBs to spend next time (can't remember right off hand exactly how many). I also got some pretty good deals at Wal-Mart. I have a few more little odds and ends to pick up (and some more baking to do for the home baked gifts), but I'm nearly done!

We are thinking of putting the Christmas tree up today because we have several things planned for next weekend, but it's SO cold my husband doesn't really want to get up in our unheated attic. We southerners don't do well with cold! :)

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Mayflower, Plymouth, Massachusetts

The MayFlower Compact
We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620.

Source: William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647 (Samuel Eliot Morison, ed., 1952), 75-76.

Come, Ye Thankful People Come


Come ye thankful people come,
Raise the song of harvest home!
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin;
God our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied:
Come to God's own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God's own field
Fruit unto his praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown
Unto joy or sorrow grown;
First the blade, and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear;

Lord of the harvest! grant that we Wholesome grain and pure may be.


For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take his harvest home;

From his field shall in that day
All offenses purge away,

Give his angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store

In his garner evermore.


Even so, Lord, quickly come,
Bring thy final harvest home;
Gather thou thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
in thy presence to abide;
Come, with all thine angels, come,

Raise the glorious harvest home.

A Day of Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for!

Frugal Cleaning

Lemon

I'll admit it...it's fun to try out new cleaners and cleaning wipes. They aren't always too easy on the budget though and they don't always work as well as I think they will. Both of my bathtubs have texture in the bottom. It's nice to keep us from slipping, but VERY hard to clean. I tried everything, and scrubbed like crazy, but there was always some grime in the texture that I couldn't get rid of. I finally found the best way to clean my bathtubs and it's so cheap!

I use lemon juice and baking soda. Sprinkle the baking soda around the bathtub then pour some lemon juice over it. It will fizz up and smell nice too. Just scrub like you normally would. It is the only way I have found to make my bathtubs look as white and clean as new.

Spiced Tea Mix

Tea Cups & Sunflowers

This is a recipe that I think every Southern woman has. It tastes just like Christmas to me. I sometimes put it in cute little treat bags inside a Christmas mug for teacher gifts.

2 C. Tang
1 C. sweetened lemonade mix
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. instant tea
1 pkg. (small) apricot jello
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. red hots
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Pour all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Stir, stir and stir! Pour into small decorative containers to give as gifts. Attach directions for use: Stir 2 heaping teaspoons into 1 cup hot water.

Friday Favorites

Update: My friend told me the picture looks like a headless ghost. Woops! Sorry about that. Next time I'll wait until someone is home to take my picture.

Today I'm sharing another of my aprons and once again you'll have to excuse my picture taking skills. I was trying to get a full length picture in a not so full length mirror. At first I was going to lay it out on the floor and take the picture, but I thought you might not get the full effect.

This apron, like last Friday's apron, was made by my grandmother. I don't remember her wearing this one. I'm sure she must have used it for entertaining and from the fabric I'm guessing it's from the 70s. It's the only full length apron I have. I haven't worn it other than to "model" to show my daughters (and now for the blog).