Happy Kwanzaa - December 26 - January 1

We celebrate and recognize several diverse special days and holidays in our household.

The BerryMorins Bits and Tips wish you and yours a Happy Kwanzaa!

Visit the official Kwanzaa website for details on the day.

Question: "What is a Man?"

My husband recently asked me what women mean when they say "You're not a man." So I decided to ask "What is your description of a man?"

What's Boxing Day?

Our store location decorated for the holidays

Boxing Day is a holiday that is celebrated in England, New Zealand, Canada and Australia, on the following Monday after Christmas. The traditional celebration is giving money and/or donations to charities, the needy and people in service positions.

You can read more information about Boxing Day at the following websites.

Wikipedia.org
Annie's Boxing Day Page

Claim Jumper - Restaurant Review

Picture Frame courtesy of Miss Bees Specialites at Etsy.com

Okay, we should have known that their portions were going to be extremely large after the muffins that were served at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Last week, I decided to treat our family to a dinner out to Claim Jumper and some shopping at Town Square.

But, we were weren't thinking about that when we ordered the Appetizer Combo. Amongst the combo, the family favorite was the Southwest Eggrolls. It had the right amount of spice level for our varies taste buds.

Marcus loved the Classic Cheeseburger and Fries. He did comment that it wasn't as good as a Landry's Seafood House Burger but made second place. Charles had the Chicken Fried Steak and I had the Ribeye Steak. The both made great leftovers.

Oh, of course, we had to order the famous Chocolate Motherlode Cake. Which after Marcus tried a couple of bites and announced he was out for the count!

Overall family review - Marcus loved it and has added it to his favorite restaurant list. Charles and I decided that we were impressed the service and the surroundings but it wouldn't be on our list. The food portion are just too overwhelming.

Merry Christmas from BerryMorins

The Candlelight Service at Calvary Chapel Spring Valley was truly inspirational. One would think that there aren't many Christians in Vegas. We see so much abuse and negative attitudes during our daily lives. But the 7:30 pm service had an overwhelming turnout.

I'm so please that I spent that time in the house of the Lord with my family.

Merry Christmas from BerryMorins Bits and Tips!

Calvary Chapel Church - Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Small Christmas Tree

Calvary Chapel Spring Valley is having Christmas Eve services today. Visit their website for more details.

Wordless Wednesday - December 24

Our Living Room Decorated for the Holidays

Rona's Favorite Things at Etsy.com

Courtesy of Kat's Krafts at Etsy.com

I know that Oprah's Favorite Things are more popular but I think my Favorites list is pretty cool too!

You'll find mine by clicking on the Etsy.com icon, on the rightside of my blog.

I love the many unique, one of a kind and handmade items that the online stores offer.

Thanks to the many Etsy online stores I also came within budget for our renewal ceremony. It also got me hooked! Since then I've returned for greeting cards, homemade breads and cookies and Christmas ornaments.

Some of my favorite stores are Simply Seasonal, Madeline Bea Soap, and Freckled Frog Crafts.

Are you an Etsy fan too?

Making Tamales - His Grace To Me

Hubby getting dressed for our Renewal Ceremony

This is the time of year that many households make tamales. My husband loves sharing his childhood memories with our son and I. My husband and his dad would get up very early in the morning to purchase the large bags of maza. The women would be gathered in the kitchen, assembling the tamales all day.

Visit His Grace To Me blog where she shares her spin on making vegan tamales. She was even kind enough to include some photos too!

Menu Plan Monday - December 22

Marcus is spending his Christmas break at the recreation center. He'll be working with the teens and little ones.

Charles and I are busy dropping off donated clothes to Goodwill and STREET Teen. We want to thank all of our customers for their kindness and generosity. It's greatly appreciated.

Our family will be spending Christmas, at home, watching lots of "Law and Order" and online episodes. We're so looking forward to a relaxing day.

*Thank you to A Year of Crockpotting Blog

Crockpot Rotisserie-Styled Chicken*, Red Potatoes, Salad

Subway Sandwiches

Dinner Out - Sam Woo's

Ham and Potato Cassorole

Make Your Own Pizza - Whole Wheat Dough

World Vision - Family Gift Idea

Did you see NBC Sunday Morning feature World Vision as a great family gift idea? It's an unique idea for families to give a gift that will be used for years to come.

We like the idea that you can choose your gift together. And they do have gift ideas that benefit United States children too.

Stop by their online website for more information.