Reusing the Monkey Breath

The husband and I have been doing some of our Christmas shopping online this year. My word it's convenient!! Well, convenient as long as one does not accidentally open a package they weren't supposed to open. Oops!!

With this ordering of gifts online, we've ended up with a bunch of giant packing bubbles that are used inside the shipping boxes.

Have you seen these? 

We even have some that are filled with monkey breath. Weird I know. 

They're definitely not like your usual little packing bubbles that everyone fights over because they're so much fun to pop. Oh no! These large packing bubbles might send our poor little pooch into anxious fits if someone started popping them. What a racket they would make!!

It's okay! I swear I won't let anyone start popping the giant bubbles! 

Oh no! I have something much better in mind.

You see, I have these purses...

See them all flopped over? Yep, that's how they sit on the shelf in my closet. Kind of a mess. And it's not very good for the purses. It leaves them creased in all the wrong places and breaks down the leather.

So I took all of that giant bubble pack and packed my purses full!

Look how neatly they sit on my shelf now!

There will be a lot less wear on my purses. 

I've reused instead of just throwing away all of that giant bubble pack...not to mention I'd hate to just toss out all of that monkey breath someone worked so hard to collect! Mmmm hmmmm!!! 

And did I mention my shelf looks so much neater!! Oh that makes me happy!

Reusing giant bubble pack filled with monkey breath...it's a good thing!

Christine

Traditions: New, Old, and...eh hem...Outgrown?

I'm a huge fan of traditions!

Traditions make us feel connected to those who are no longer with us. They give us something to look forward too. And often, they're just plain fun!

We participated in a new tradition this Thanksgiving...writing something we're thankful for on the Thanksgiving tablecloth in permanent marker.

The tablecloth will be pulled out every year to be used for Thanksgiving. 

A reminder of the previous years thanks.

New words of gratitude will be added each year. 

It will become a record of each year's thanksgiving! Beautiful!!

We've also enjoyed an old tradition. Going to get our Christmas tree!

There wasn't any snow on the ground, but the day was co-old!!

So as tradition dictates...there was warming up with hot apple cider! Yum!

Can you see our little photo bomber? That seems to be becoming a bit of a tradition all its own. Hmmm

The old tradition of getting our Christmas tree means that once the tree is decorated, the family cuddles around the crackling fire in the fireplace to watch a Christmas movie and eat snacks. 

Snacks traditionally include, one of my favorites, deviled eggs! Oh yeah!

It was our beloved family friend Martha, 

who, while she was alive, always brought the deviled eggs to family events. I have continued the tradition, trying to replicate Martha's recipe.

Hard boil and peel 6 eggs. It was so exciting to use eggs from our own chickens this year! 

The shells will peel off the eggs pretty easily if you set the hard boiled eggs in a dish of ice water for just a few minutes to cool. Only let them cool long enough so that they are easy to handle. They should still be slightly warm.

Cut the hard boiled eggs in half vertically.

Just look at those gorgeous yolks!

Remove the yolks from the eggs and place in a small bowl.

Set the cooked egg whites aside.

Using a fork, mash the egg yolks. This can be a good way to work out any holiday stress you might be dealing with. Go ahead! Mash em! Smash em! Crush em good!! I mean, you know, if you happen to have a lot of holiday stress.

Anyway...

Once your cooked egg yolks are all mashed up, toss in a dollop of Kraft Miracle Whip. Nope, I don't use mayonnaise. I do prefer the tangy zip of Miracle Whip. Sorry! I totally sound like the commercial. But, so be it. I like my Miracle Whip!

Mix that up good. 

Add just enough Miracle Whip so that it's completely blended in. Do not add so much that the egg yolk mixture becomes thin. Because now we're going to add in a little salt to taste and a nice dollop of vlasic sweet relish! Oh yeah!

I don't measure any of these ingredients. This is all to taste. And it tastes sooo good!!

Once the relish is combined with the egg yolk and Miracle Whip the mixture will be thinner. You don't however want it to be runny. Nope. Not runny!

Scoop the egg yolk mixture into a gallon sized plastic bag. Snip off one corner of the bag. Now pipe the mixture into your awaiting cooked egg whites.

Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum, YUM!!

And the final touch...a dash of Paprika!

Now, I'm just going to tell you, a wise woman makes a few extra deviled eggs so that when the dish of eggs she sets out disappears, disappears before she even gets one, because she was still working in the kitchen, she'll have a stash of her own to enjoy when everyone else has moved on to the other snacks! I'm just sayin'!

Some traditions are very tasty!

Some traditions we outgrow. -sniff sniff-

While the Husband was stretched out on the floor under the Christmas tree, to give it some fresh water, Miss Sofi Bug, who was two at the time, decided it was the perfect opportunity to give the Husband a good body slam!

Ever since, the girls have piled on the Husband every time he waters the Christmas tree. This little tradition has been a source of giggling and tickling and wrestling together on the floor. It makes me smile every year.

As the girls have grown, this tradition has begun to disappear. 

Apparently our girls have become too grown up and mature for such antics. 

Imagine my surprise and delight when the Husband went to water this year's Christmas tree and suddenly...

Maybe this tradition has not been completely outgrown. -contented sigh-

Yep, I'm a big fan of traditions!! 

What's your favorite tradition?

Christine