This Full House Archive

Category: Holidazed

  • NaBloPoMo 2015: Happy ThanksgivingChristmasNewYearsValentinesEaster!

    I used to be a planner, also super-organized (and this is the part where my husband would insist otherwise and I would end any possibility of a long, drawn out debate, by insisting back "WAS SO!" Because I am a great debater, like that!), but those days seem so long ago.

    Holidaze

    I knew if I just held out long enough, mismatched plates and glasses would become a thing (are so!).

    In our house, the holidays were my Olympics! I researched recipes, collected odds and ends for binge-crafting sessions with the kids and made lists for ALL things holi"daze". 

    This year? I'm lucky if I remember to wear matching earrings, and leaving the house with shoes on, and I can't tell you how many times I've caught myself wondering if I had remembered to use shampoo after already having gotten out of the shower.

    My mommybrain is all grown up and waiting for someone to strain my carrots, dammit.

    Now with Dad in and out of hospitals and rehab centers, since the end of August, I can't seem to think past remembering to eat lunch. Our parents play a large part of our celebrations and, now that our kids are getting older, (us too!) I keep reminding myself that every day we spend together is a gift.

    "What's gonna happen on Thanksgiving?"

    Thanksgiving has ALWAYS been my son's favorite holiday and now that he's turning 17 (ugh, really?!?) and has the appetite of a 17yo (a.k.a. never NOT hungry) he's taken over the menu-planning 🙂

    "I haven't even thought about it, so don't know what we're doing, Bud!"

    Truth be told, I'm still trying to figure out where September went.

    "Well, if Papa is still in the hospital, we'll just have to bring Thanksgiving to him, that's all!"

    [one beat, two beats]

    "I mean, it doesn't matter where we have it, or if we cop a squat in the corner and eat off of trays, as long as we are together, right?!?"

    I'm still trying to clear the massive goober that has formed in my throat, so I have yet to get back to him on that one, but I think maybe he already knows the answer and it was more of a rhetorical question, because these kids are way smarter than me. 

    "Wait, is that Christmas music you're playing?"

    My oldest daughter, on the other hand…

    "YUP! Don't judge!"

    Gahdfuhbid, it's like she doesn't EVEN know me!!!!

  • Behind every strong woman, there’s another strong woman, trying to do right by her family, probably.

    Katkics Womenz Christmas 2013 Unframed

    The Katkics Women, Christmas 2013

    I love this picture for so many reasons, but mostly because it captures the women in my family who are usually found behind the camera and are equally passionate about capturing moments, like this one: my mom, me and my sister-in-law Pam.

    It's been a tough year for the three of us.  Physically, mentally, emotionally, and whatever else is left after throwing yourself into living life to the fullest…no matter what life throws at you….body, mind and soul-ly.

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  • From Our House, To Your House: It’s A Krispie Carol

    Merry Krispmas from This Full House 2
    Like most families we know, the kids and I have our favorite holiday traditions: decorating Christmas cookies ranks right up there with tricking out a ginger bread house with leftover Halloween candy, if there’s any left.  

    Assembling said gingerbread house, not so much.

    So, when our good friends at Kellogg’s challenged us to put a twist on a family-favorite holiday tradition, I thought it would be REALLY fun to replicate This Full House (the house) in Rice Krispies, but then I broke it.

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  • Just in time for the holidaze: scented pine cone wreath.

    Holiday Hostess Gift

    Last month, my dear friend Beth (a.k.a. Life in The Bat Cave) took it upon herself to reach out and spread a little holiday cheer by organizing a Blogger Ornament Exchange – sort of like a cookie exchange, only different.

    So, I signed right up and guess what?!?  I got paired up with Beth 🙂  

    Now that we're smack-dab in the middle of the holidaze — you know, that constant "Uhhhhhhh, what year is it, again?!?" feeling you get in between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day — and because my contribution to the ornament exchange got to Beth's house safe and sound, I thought this would be a real good time to share with you a super-easy craft that would make a terrific holiday host or hostess gift, as well.

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  • Thanksgiving Soup (a.k.a. Black Friday Soup)

    I have served this yummy soup, every year on Black Friday, ever since the kids were little and I think they look forward to it more than Thanksgiving dinner…me too!  It is a very simple soup that is also super-fast to throw together, which makes it a perfect meal for anytime of the year.

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  • Decking the halls, like there’s no tomorrow.

    We've hosted Thanksgiving for more than a dozen years and, for all my talk of going on killer dust bunny hunts and finding new places to hide the laundry, I really do enjoy having family over for the holidays — YES, on purpose!

    Decking the halls with kids 2013

    Aaaaaand, now that my kids are older (me too, dammit!) I don't worry as much about:

    • The table setting — nope, it doesn't match, but I hear that's a thing now
    • The food preparation — yes, some of it comes out of a can
    • Cleaning and organizing the flow of the house — seriously, I've got teens

    I don't bother with shopping lists (having forgotten them at home, most likely) or worry whether I've managed to hunt down each and every dust bunny, because they're sort of like pets and we've even named a few of the bigger ones.

    Decking the halls 2013 snowman

    You see, no matter how my husband, Garth (not his real name) and I try, we've come to accept the simple fact that, with a family as big as ours, some things just don't go right and, before you can say, "Pass the potatoes," someone's puking all over your nice, clean and shiny floors.

    Decking the halls 2013

    Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Eve, we've got a Nor'easter banging on our front door and, well, I did what any self-respecting lifestyle-type blogger would do:  I decked the halls (okay, mostly the dining room) like there was no tomorrow, literally.

    Honestly, with our luck, I'll be super-thankful to have electricity on Thursday, because I am also super-easy to please, like that 🙂

    ©2003 -2013 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook and everything!

    I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, so far (PHEW!) and let me know how I'm doing (I mean, 30 posts, in 30 days, really?!?) when you have time, of course!

  • Teen-friendly Tapas: easy-peasy chicken and waffles recipe.

    Chicken and Kellogg's Mini Eggo Waffles

    A drizzle of warm honey and a sprinkling of fresh chives dress-up these chicken topped mini waffles, very nicely!

    Last month, I was invited to meet with U.S. Olympic legends and athlete hopefuls representing Team USA in New York City to help kick-off the 100 day countdown to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

    I know, who EVER thought a dork like me would EVER be able to say that, out loud, RIGHT?!?

    Aaaaaanyway, one of my favorite activities from this awesome event was participating in helping to create an absolutely awesome brunch, in my pretend kitchen at The Culinary Loft, where I was given the choice of cooking stations.

    They had me at chicken and waffles, here’s how it ALL went down in 3 easy-peasy steps:

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  • Holidazed by the Chalkboard Project: I blame Pinterest AND @TheNextMartha

    In this house (full as it is)  DIY projects are gauged by three very important factors:

    1.  My husband's analytical mind:  I'd mention something about this or that getting done and then he would agree with me, using graphs and/or spread sheets and then submitting a final paper in nothing less than 1,000 words.

    2.  My patience level:  I have none.  That is to say, with stuff that doesn't work right, after the 17th time and my aversion to reading directions doesn't help any…either.

    3.  Calculating the time it takes to get the job done:  before my husband gets home.

    Needless to say, we're a little behind on our DIY projects (not for the lack of wanting, either)  and, trust me when I tell you, ability has absolutely NOTHING to do with our ever-growing to do list…either.

    Last year…I re-did our bathroom…during Thanksgiving week.

    Okay, I just thought of a 4th import DIY factor:  if it is a holiday week, or not.

    This week, I walked by the garage door and noticed the wallpaper was ripped (DAMMIT!) and who wallpapers a garage door, anyways?!?

    [raises hand]


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  • The Christmas Elephant in the Room

    Lucy the elephant

    Lucy the Elephant, she's from Jersey!

    Going to Grandma's house on Christmas Eve has been a Thompson tradition ever since we began adding grand kids to their family tree and every year we would trade-off visiting with my parents, as well:  dinner here, dessert over there, etc…

    My kids are very lucky to have both sets of grandparents in their lives, they know it, we know it and, now that my kids are older (aren't we all?)  I'm beginning to truly understand why our folks look forward to having their grandchildren around them, especially during the holidaze.

    My father would joke with my kids, thanking them for "re-charging" Papa after each and every visit.

    Aaaaaand, as I get older (physically, because mentally I'm still, like, not even out of my teens, yet!)  I'm realizing the same restorative power, every time one of my children insist that I stop whatever it is I'm doing, RIGHT NOW, because he or she NEEDS a hug.

    We had my in-laws over for dinner, last night.  Although they live just a five or ten minute car ride away (because, in Jersey, we speak in the time it takes to get somewhere rather than mileage)  we haven't visited with Grandma and Grandpa since Thanksgiving.

    It's been a tough year for my in-laws.  Just last night, my father-in-law admitted that any and all of the mileage put on their car is for doctor visits and trips to the pharmacy, which is pretty much how my parents spend their days, plus or minus a trip (or twenty)  to B.J.'s.

    This year, my sister-in-law broke the news that Garth (not his real name)  and I would be hosting Christmas Eve (without me, and with good reason)   so, I baked one of my mother-in-law's favorite desserts (chocolate gingerbread cake, and it was good)  to help soften the blow.

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  • Pinterest is my….SQUIRREL!!!

    Pinterest has been my time-suck of choice since it first launched in 2010, it really is the perfect social media channel for folks with really, really short attention spans…like me.

    Pinterest Prowess

    In fact, a large part of my day job now involves spending hours and hours flipping through people's Pinterest boards and…well…let me just tell you, it's like throwing open the cabinet doors, clearing a path to the garbage can and telling Doofus-Dawg to "HAVE IT, MY FRIEND"!

    Pinterest is my…SQUIRREL!!!!

    Yesterday, I mentioned something on Facebook about my thinking it was cute how I keep pinning all these holiday recipes on Pinterest, as if…

    Aaaaand, then I realized my FAVORITE thing about Pinterest — it is the perfect playground for snark, most especially around the holidaze:

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