He's watching you...

Yesterday we picked up our Elf on the Shelf. Marley said she didn't want one because they're creepy and she doesn't like stuff that rhymes. She said she wanted a bunny on the shelf. She wouldn't even carry the box in the store because she was afraid that he was going to come out of the box.

When we got him home I put the bag and his box on the counter and just went about our day. Marley fell asleep on the couch (which never happens) so I used this as an opportunity for our elf to escape from his box.  When she woke up he was sitting on the mantel. She saw him immediately and again said 'okay he's creepy'  She asked me why I put him there and I told her that while she was sleeping I was in my room playing with Mason so I don't know how he got there. I think she was a little freaked out.  At bed time we read the book and picked out a name for our elf. (His magic doesn't work until he has a name)  She came downstairs once to check on him to see if he went to the North Pole for the night.

So without further ado... Here's Jack, our Elf.

I'll be back with weekly updates to show what little Jack has been up to and how well Marley's handling the whole santa/elf thing. (She freaked out a while ago about getting an elf because she didn't want it to tell Santa that she's bad) This could be interesting.

See all our elf adventures here

Wax on, wax off

I saw on Pinterest a few different ways to get that last little bit of wax out of your candle jars. I finally made it out to Hobby Lobby to buy some wicks, so I decided to give it a try. 

Here's all my "used" candles. My goal is to melt all the wax and combine it and make a new candle. 

First, I needed a clean jar. I had this one and it was pretty good size so I went with it. All you do is boil water on the stove. Once it's boiling for a few minutes, carefully pour it into the candle jar. Almost immediately you will see the wax on the bottle start to melt and float up to the top. It's pretty neat looking. 

Once it had all floated to the top I used a piece of metal to reach in and get the wicks out. And I stirred it a little just to help the remaining wax make its way to the top of the jar. (Be careful, it's very hot)

After a few hours, the water was cool and the wax on top was hard so it was time for the next step.

See how cool! (I was very excited that this actually worked)

I used a pencil to poke two holes in the wax so I could pour the water out. Then I cut the wax in half and pulled it out. I saved the wax to melt to use in my new candle. 

Cleaned the black stuff off the jar and made sure all the old wax was out and now it's like new and ready to become a candle again! 

Check out Part Two- making a new candle. 

Anyone have any other methods? I've heard of putting them in the freezer too, but have never tried it. Have you?

Chicken Lemon Rice Soup

 I absolutely LOVE chicken lemon rice soup! If I had to pick a favorite soup it's either potato or chicken lemon rice. However, I don't really love making it. It's a long process that involves lots of dirty dishes, but it's worth it. This time I decided to make a double batch and freeze some for later. (I'm always thinking ahead!) The recipe I'm posting is just for one batch , but I just doubled everything.

6 cups chicken broth

1 chicken flavored bouillon cube or 1 tsp instant chicken bouillon

1/3 cup uncooked white rice

1/3 cup chopped celery

1 cup cubed cooked chicken 

2 tbsp flour

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup diced carrots

1/4 cup finely chopped onions (I don't use these in mine)

2 tbsp butter

3 eggs

salt & pepper to taste

Makes 7 (1 cup) servings.

In large pot, combine chicken broth, bouillon, rice, carrots, celery and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender. Stir in chicken. Remove from heat.

In small saucepan, melt butter. Slowly stir in flour. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. 

Gradually stir in 2 cups of previously made broth mixture. Cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

 In small bowl beat eggs until frothy. Gradually beat in lemon juice and 2 cups of the thickened broth mixture. 

Slowly add egg mixture to broth mix in the large pot, stirring constantly. (Add this very slowly and make sure your heat is on very low and keep stirring. If you add it too quickly and your heat is too high it will cook your eggs, and you'll end up with scrambled eggs in your soup)

Heat gently until soup thickens enough to coat a spoon, stirring frequently. Do not boil.

Salt and pepper to taste. 

Mike and I love this soup. Marley didn't care for it, but she's a weird kid! 

Lions and tigers and... an ear of corn!

We had a nice Halloween this year.  It started off with Marley's school Halloween party. I volunteered to be a party planner for her class so I got to help with the games during her party. They played pin the nose on the pumpkin, hot pumpkin (potato) and they stuck their hands in gooey food looking for spiders and eye balls!

After the party and after we picked up Mason from grandma's we went trick or treating. After about an hour Marley said she was done so we headed back to Uncle Bob's house where Marley handed out some candy. I think she liked that more than getting the candy.  Mason didn't wear his costume on Halloween night because it was so cold out. Because of Marley naming him Corn Tuck a Tuck, it was only fitting that his costume was an ear of corn!

We have so much candy! We've limited Marley to a piece or two a day, but I think we'll still have some candy left next year!