Not much going on...

Hi, my name is She and I am an addict.  To this:

I highly recommend never picking up this horrible iPhone game, unless you want to spend countless hours trying to get rid of the bleeping chocolate that keeps growing back!  In my house, chocolate only disappears...not multiplies!  Yes, I've dreamed about matching colored candies at night.  Sad, so very sad.

~*~

I love Target clearance!  I got a pair of faux snakeskin heels for $15 and a winter coat for $24!  Score!  I haven't worn the coat yet because the next two days were in the 60s here (what's that about?) and then I haven't left the house since (sick kids).

~*~

I really want to redo the kids' rooms.  All these glorious rooms on Pinterest have me thinking I can do it.  I need to talk myself down, remind myself I'm not crafty, and move on to another obsession.

 

~*~

 



Dilemma:  When the husband puts his dish in the dishwasher, fully covered in crusted food, do you explain to him that dishes must be rinsed first or they won't come clean?  Or do you count it a blessing that he even made the effort and let it go?

 

~*~

 

If one more person in my house drops a roll of toilet paper in the sink, soaking and ruining it, I think I'm going to lose it. 

 

~*~

 

Tonight's a Chipotle night.  I couldn't be happier!  I had to borrow bread for lunch because there's no food in the house.  Anxiously awaiting that Chicken Burrito Bowl!



Bucket List

The kids are sick and I haven't felt fresh air since Sunday.  I'm sure you'd rather not hear details about the mess I had to clean up in the middle of the night.  Instead, I'll post this email I received from a friend.  I usually don't get into these forward-type things, but this one looked fun.  I can't say these are actually things I'd put on my bucket list, but it's interesting to see how many things I've done.

( ) Rode in an ambulance - Thankfully, no!

( ) Shot a gun - Just the gun from Duck Hunt, the video game.

( ) Gone on a blind date - Not really, but my cousin and her boyfriend arranged for his friend to hang out with me once at an amusement park.  So, kind of.  I won't count it though.

(X ) Skipped school - Because I was such a good student, my mom allowed me to flick from time to time.  The best time was my Junior year when about 8 of us signed out after lunch, walked home, and ate at Taco Bell, I think.  We definitely weren't rebels though. 

( ) Watched someone die - I've never actually been there when someone gave up the ghost, but I've seen both of my grandparents immediately afterward.

(X) Visited Canada - A few times.  I've been to The Falls a couple times and Toronto once.  We crossed the Michigan border once to a French speaking area, which was neat.

( ) Visited Hawaii - No, but I've experienced the beauty of it through Linda's photos!  She winters there every year!

( ) Visited Cuba - No, I can't say that it's something I'd ever really want to do.  I don't smoke cigars and Ricky Riccardo is dead.

(X) Visited Las Vegas - Yes!  For our 15th anniversary.  We really enjoyed it!

( ) Visited Central America - Nope.

( ) Visited Asia - Nope.

( ) Visited Mexico - Nope.

(X) Visited Washington, DC - Yes.  We took the boys there when they were little.  It was in '02 or '03 and we could still see the effects of 9/11 on the Pentagon.

(X) Seen the Grand Canyon -  From an airplane, flying to Vegas. 

(X) Seen a Lighthouse - Sure, lots of times.

(X) Seen the Capital of your State - Of course.

( ) Been Snow Skiing - No, Hubby said I would certainly break a leg if I tried.  We live within 20 minutes of two fabulous ski resorts too.

( ) Been Water Skiing - No- again, the broken leg thing.  I have been tubing though.

( ) Ridden in a dragster - I don't even know what that is.  A race car?  Um, no. 

(X) Flown in a plane - Of course.

(X) Served on a jury - No!  Although, stating that right now will cause me to get called!  I've only been called once and it was when I was nursing a newborn.  I got out of it.

(X) Been lost - Only a few hundred times.  I am directionally challenged.  At least I can read a map though.  If I could read a map while driving, I would never get lost. 

(X) Traveled to the opposite side of the country - I've been from southern Florida to San Fransisco, California.

(X) Swam in the ocean - Many times.

(X) Cried yourself to sleep - Unfortunately.

( ) Been camping in a trailer/RV - When we go camping, we're hard core!  We sleep in a tent on the ground.  None of this RV with a toilet stuff for us!

( ) Rode on an elephant - Nope.

( ) Rode on a camel - Nope.  But my kids have!

(X) Eaten just cookies or cake for dinner - Ah, the college years!  Lunch was typically fruit snacks & a Kit Kat.  Dinners weren't much better.

(X) Been on TV - Once one the news, and once on a religious show.  Our youth choir sang 3 songs on one of those shows that only old people watch in the middle of the day.

(X) Been on Radio - I've won a couple contests before and they put me on the radio.  I've never done a show or anything.

( ) Stolen any traffic signs - No, that was my brother. 

(X) Been in a car accident - Yes, but nothing too tragic.  My most recent was when a 92-year old woman T-boned me.  She lost her license after that.

( ) Been in hospital in past 24 months - Thankfully, no.  My year of hospital stays was 2008.

( ) Donated blood - I tired, but they poked all the way through my vein and told me I couldn't do it.  I haven't tried since, but I know I should.

( ) Gotten a speeding ticket in the last 12 months - Again, I'm afraid to even say this- I've never had a speeding ticket!  It's only the grace of God because I do not drive like a grandma.

( ) Gotten a piercing - Never.

( ) Gotten a tattoo - Nada.

(X) Drive a four door car - Um, yeah!  What other kind is there?  Like I'm going to drive a little sporty convertible!

(X) Driven a stick shift - I don't know if "driven" is the correct word.  I sat behind the steering wheel, causing the car to do all kinds of lurches and make crazy noises.  I finally got it to stop, put it park, and vowed never to try again.

( ) Ever owned your dream car - Right now, I'm eyeing the Mercedes GL line.

(X) Been married - Just the one time.

( ) Been divorced - I hope to never check this box!

(X) Fell in love - Again, just the one time.

( ) Fell out of love - No, I don't plan to.

( ) Flew in Goodyear blimp - No, but I was there at the hangar to watch my cousin and a couple of my friends take their ride.

(X) Flew in hot air balloon - Yes!  We had one at our church once.  It only took us up and then back down.  But it was an awesome experience!

(X) Flew in helicopter - Yes, one of those tourist helicopters.  I was terrified!

( ) Sailed on a yacht - Um, no.  I don't exactly roll with yacht people.

(X) Cruised on a big ship - Yep!  3 times!

( ) Rode a motorcycle - No, and I don't plan to.

(X) Rode on a snowmobile - Oh yeah!  My dad & uncle had them when we were little.  We spent all winter riding snowmobiles!

( ) Gone para-sailing - Nope.

( ) Gone Skydiving - Ha, yeah right.

( ) Rode on a Zip-line - Yes, and I have a video of it!  It was a short ride that my kids did before I could get up the nerve.  I loved it though!

( ) Gone SCUBA diving - No, but it sounds fun!

(X) Rode a Subway - New York and D.C.

(X) Rode a Train - Oh yes!  We took a train from California to Colorado!

My age is: 36

 

Now that I'm thinking back on this, who would put "Fall out of love" on their bucket list?  That's a little nutso if you ask me!  Someday I'll have to sit down and write my own bucket list.  The first thing on my bucket list is:

1.  Write a bucket list

Annoyed and Not Loving It

Today, I  have a special edition of Pet Peeves Eating Me Alive!  I'm not sure if I'm a bit crabby or if people are allowing their true ignorance to spew forth more than normal.  It seems like so many people are getting on my nerves lately.

(By the way, googling "Pet Peeves" comes up with some pretty funny results.  I love Google.  It is definitely not one of my pet peeves.)

Number One- people in the school pick up line.  I know all of the parents out there know who I'm talking about.  I just hope you're not one of them.  If you are, please recognize yourself from this post and change your ways!  There are rules and regulations when it comes to picking up your kid after school.  Some of them are written; some of them are just common sense.  What makes me the angriest right now is the lazy people:  those who stop their car anywhere they want to avoid walking thirty feet to the assigned pick up spot.  They don't care if they block the entire drive and no one else can get through.  They don't care if their misplaced car causes me to step into a huge snowdrift.  All they care about is sitting in their warm car, with their warm pajamas, loud music, and cigarette hanging from their bottom lip.  These people also tend to roll down the window and shout the name of their child.  Enough said- I guess I need to be thankful that I'm above that type of behavior.

Number Two- people who share far too much on Facebook.  I know you know some of these people too.  These people can be divided into a few different categories:  people crying out for help, insecure lonely people, and people just too dumb to know better.  This week, I have seen a woman pour out her soul, detailing everything that is wrong with her life.  To her, I would like to suggest journaling her feelings privately instead of displaying her plethora of problems on the world wide web.   What can come of airing your dirty laundry to 437 of your closest "friends?" 

I have also seen a woman who detailed every problem in her adult son's life.  I think that's even worse.  I had no idea this man was involved in so much drama, but thanks to his dear mom, I now know every detail.  Privacy is obviously no longer important to so many these days. 

My biggest Facebook pet peeve right now is adult bullies.  Television specials and newspaper columns are dedicated to teens to cyber bully one another through social media.  No one seems to address the ridiculous adults who do the same thing.  Also this week, I was directed to a post about my family.  It was cruel, it was public, and it was embarrassing.  The worst thing is that I'm actually linked to the person who posted it.  The post wasn't skillfully vague so that no one would know exactly who they were talking about.  It was bold, obvious, and clear to anyone who knows us.  Being the classy person I am, I did not retaliate.  I did not post something equally cruel or slimy.  I lifted my chin a little higher, brushed off the insult, and went about my life.  (Then I came here and told all of you about it.)

The Baby's Birthday

I am really bad about starting a post, not finishing it, and letting it sit as a draft for ages.  I found this almost complete post about Baby Girl's birthday, which was Labor Day weekend.  What a shame.  I decided to finally finish and post it, even though it depicts a 90 degree plus day as I sit here shivering in my flannels.  Here we go...

A friend of mine asked when we're going to quit calling our youngest child "The Baby." I think she'll always be a baby in my eyes.

Well, she's 4 now and she decided she's all grown up. She asked for party themes ranging from princess castles to rainbows. Finally, she settled on Dumbo. I had no clue how I was going to pull that off. As always, I turned to google and started searching. Dumbo parties have been done, but mostly by professional cake bakers. I've done fondant before, but molding an elephant that actually resembles a famous cartoon elephant is far beyond my ability.

I finally decided to go with a circus theme, concentrating on Dumbo as much as possible.  I thought I could find some sort of toy to use as a cake top, but Dumbo is not popular enough right now to find toys in the store.  I'm sure I could have found something at Disney World, but I wasn't thinking about that right then.  Bummer.  I decided to just print out a picture of Dumbo, attach it to a dowel rod, and stick it in the cake.  With My Crazy Busy Life right now, that was all I could manage.  Here's the result:

 

 

I ended up writing her name on it too, in big blue letters.  For food, I decided that hot dogs, peanuts, and lemonade were the most related to the theme.  (Plus, it was simple and easy, another benefit!)  I paid $2 a box for animal crackers (which no one ate) and couldn't find Cracker Jacks or cotton candy locally.  I considered borrowing our church's huge popcorn machine, but quickly changed my mind when I realized how heavy it was.  I had just returned from vacation, the school year had just begun, and it was Labor Day.  The guest of honor was 4 and would never know the difference.  So we popped popcorn instead and skipped the cotton candy. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

 

 

 

 



Instagram Recap

These were my Christmas packages this year. I got the great idea to combine a couple ideas I found on Pinterest. Yeah, that turned out to be way more work that I thought. They were gorgeous though. I wrapped each gift in brown kraft paper that I bought in a 30 lb. roll. I will be using this paper for the next eighty years, as I have so much of it now! Then I tied each box with burlap ribbon that is supposed to be used for wrapping tree trunks. It made a bit of a mess, but it was so cute. I have quite a bit of that left too, but not 80 years worth. I used red and white twine to secure the burlap. Then, I donned each present with the recipient's initial cut out of a page of an old book. Of course, my English major buddy tried to read her letter, filling in the missing areas with her own words.

The women in my family made Butterhorns every Christmas when I was growing up. I was jealous because they never waited until school was out. They counted the cookies, divided them equally, and fought over who got the burnt ones. My aunt always accused my other aunt of sneaking more into her bowl. When I was old enough to help, I felt like I had achieved a right of passage. When Grandma's health got bad, we quit making them. My mom & I tried a couple times on our own, but couldn't quite get it right. This year, I googled the recipe to get some better directions. It was a great idea because the cookies turned out absolutely perfect! I can't wait until I add my own daughters to this family tradition!

More Christmas cookies. I didn't even make these until after Christmas, but I couldn't allow the season to pass without my famous iced sugar cookies. AND that's why I'm so fat now. :) I also made Monster Cookies, chocolate fudge, Chocolate Crinkles, and Nutroll. (Many of these recipes can be found in my Recipes tab above.)  We had some good sweet eating during the holidays!








And, a bit more of She's craftiness. I bought a huge box of chocolate covered pretzels at Sam's Club for $9. My intention was to give the entire box to the office staff at the elementary school. When I got home, I realized how many pretzels were actually in that box. I made up a canister for the elementary school and one for the middle school. Still left with a couple dozen pretzels, I decided to wrap up 4 pretzels each for every one of the boys' middle school teachers. I don't usually buy them gifts, since they have 5 teachers each. But I had everything I needed, so I decided to be nice. I even got a hand drawn thank you card from a certain math teacher with a reindeer saying "Happy Mathmas." The crayon colored card made the whole chore worth it!

The kids really enjoyed the massive amounts of snow we received over Christmas break!  We live high on a hill with a winding driveway.  It makes for perfect sledding, as long as there is no traffic on the road.  The kids (and Grammy) took turns standing on the street, letting sledders know when the coast was clear.  I enjoyed standing at the window, warm with a cup of tea, watching them.  I don't sled.  I enjoy the use of both of my legs, thank you.

Review and Resolutions

It's so difficult getting back into the routine of things!  My Christmas break was simply fabulous!  I ate some cookies, gained some weight, and basically chilled.  The kids only had a week and two days off, so they're back to school now.  I'm back to laundry, back to making dinner, and trying to work off all those extra Christmas calories. 

We didn't go overboard on the kids this year, however, Hubby went overboard on ME!  As long as he pays cash, I can't complain.  (Here's a little shout-out to Dave Ramsey!)  For a couple years now, he's been saving up to buy me a new wedding ring.  He was only 20 when he purchased my first ring and he earns a wee bit more now.  He's always been slightly embarrassed about the size of my diamond, even though I was totally happy with it.  I told him I would enjoy a new wedding set for our 20th anniversary.  He thought it would take him that long to save up, but he was a good little saver!  He came up with the cash early, thanks to all the overtime hours at work for Christmas peak season!  Anyhow, here's a cell phone shot of my favorite Christmas gift:

(It's much prettier in person!)

With his bonus money, Hubby bought the kids Just Dance for the Playstation.  That was a surprise to us all!  Today, I did the fitness side of the video game.  I wouldn't really call it an exercise program, but it got me moving and my heart rate up.  It's just 10 minutes, and it's a lot of fun, so I'm going to try to do it regularly.  Since winter has set in, I haven't been running.  I'm getting quite chubby.  I think our next investment is a treadmill.  I would love to run a half marathon in 2013, but I'm not committing to it yet.  (5.5 miles was so difficult last year...can you imagine 13.1????)  Maybe my inspirational catch phrase should be "13.1 in '13!"

One great thing about 2012 was that I read through the entire Bible!  I am so thrilled that I actually completed my goal (2 weeks early)!  I'm going to read through again this year.  (Yeah, I'm already 2 chapters behind.)

Big Sis had pink eye over Christmas break, but thankfully, no one else got it!  The stomach bug has hit this area hard, but we've somehow avoided it so far.  I'm sure we'll all get it now just because I said that.

I'm finally working on a Shutterfly album for our Disney trip.  Unfortunately, I waited too long to access our Photo Pass pictures and they're gone.  Now I feel bad for making my family stand in line to get all those pictures taken!  I honestly thought they'd be there for longer than 30 days!  I'd also like to make an album for 2012, but I'll be lucky to get the Disney album created!

The photo booth and photography side jobs are still going well.  I did a lot of portraits for Christmas and still have a senior photo shoot scheduled.  We took the photo booth to a gorgeous wedding the Saturday before Christmas and got to charge full price for our top package!  That was sure nice to add to our bank account!  We don't have much coming up on the books, but I welcome the break.  We're doing a bridal show next month, so hopefully we'll make some contacts there. 

We had some major drama around here on New Year's Eve.  There's an apartment building on the corner of my small street that is occupied by seniors and disabled people.  Someone jumped from the 13th floor balcony facing our street.  There were so many emergency vehicles on our tiny street that they had to shut it down.  My mother-in-law lives in the building and said the 20-something guy jumped without a shirt on in front of his aide.  Sad. 

I'm so thankful for what I have and that we have very few issues in life compared to the rest of the world.  We've been blessed. 

I hope everyone had a very nice series of holidays...I haven't been on much to wish you happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's.  With that whole season coming to a close, I just might have more time for extra things like blogging (and cleaning the basement - yuk). 

Shutterfly Winner Announced!

After much anticipation, I am happy to announce the winner of the Shutterfly giveaway is:

Lisa from Life is a Many Zebra'd Thing!

 

Congratulations to Lisa!  I hope you have a fabulous time designing your free Shutterfly products! 

 

Thank you to everyone who entered.  I wish everyone could win!

 

Christmas Card 2012

 

Picture In Landscape Christmas Card

Click here to browse our Christmas photo card designs.

View the entire collection of cards.

Today is the last day to enter my Shutterfly Giveaway!   I will announce the winner tomorrow and email the necessary information for redeeming the prize.

As you can see above, I finally finished my Christmas card!  You may not recognize my kids through their disguises, but I think people will know who the card is from!  Inside, there is an individual photo of each of them.  On the back is a picture of all of them holding hands, which was a difficult task in itself.  Getting Son #1 to hold hands with his sister was like pulling teeth!

Hopefully the cards arrive soon and I can get them mailed out to all my friends and family.

Good luck with all your Christmas plans this year!

Just Ramblings

If you haven't entered my Shutterfly giveaway, make sure to do so right away! The contest ends December 4th at midnight. Free fifty bucks!!!

I know I haven't updated about my cousin's baby...my apologies.  They went in for their appointment that Monday with a huge decision to make.  As I said, 7 of 8 doctors recommended they wait as long as possible.  It was a nurse who helped sway the decision.  She said that she's the one who takes care of these babies and knows the difference between one born at 26 weeks and one born after 30.  They decided to wait.

This Monday, they went to their 8:00 AM appointment with a C-Section scheduled for noon.  For the first time in six weeks, the ventricles in the brain got smaller!  It's nothing shy of a miracle of God!  He works in His own timeline, not ours!  So, my cousins get to wait at least another week!  The baby is up to 3 lbs. now and will continue growing with the steroids her mama is receiving.  It's good news around here!  Thanks for your warm thoughts and prayers!

~~*~~

I'm fully immersed in Christmas Spirit right now!  For the first time ever, I put my tree up in November!  We purchased a new one this year because the old tree makes Hubby seriously lose his temper.  This one stands on it's own and is pre-lit!  Bonus and bonus!  It looks totally real and makes me feel slightly better about the $250 we spent on it.  (We have to keep it until we die for it to be completely worth it.)  I set up some tiny trees in my front landscaping and they look totally adorable.

~~*~~

Does anyone remember the mouse in the house I had last year?  It nearly ruined Christmas for me.  It decided to nest in my box of Christmas ornaments.  When I figured out what happened, I carried the box right back downstairs and decided not to decorate for Christmas.  My grandma was doing very poorly with her Alzheimer's and I was very emotional.  Looking back, it was a good choice.  However, that choice means I had to take care of the issue this year.  Donned in stylish rubber gloves, I removed everything from the box and tossed out anything that had been chewed.  I washed everything else off, unless it was wrapped well or in a box.  My kids' stockings were slightly chewed.  Three of them are sentimental so I decided to launder and try to keep them.  Baby Girl's was the most eaten and hers was not sentimental.  I threw it away and hope to find a new one before Christmas.  I sterilized the rubbermaid box and plan to keep the lid tightly sealed from now on.

~~*~~

Today, I spent $50 on gift wrapping essentials.  Please do not tell my husband.  I used a $25 gift card so that he wouldn't realize the full extent of the damage.  Here's how I'm justifying the cost.  I ordered an industrial roll of brown kraft paper.  It's 1000 feet long, so it should last me til I die.  I also ordered 100 yards of burlap ribbon.  It's supposed to be used to wrap delicate tree trunks, but I think it will look very lovely around my kraft paper packages.  I also added 2300 feet of red and white baker's twine.  That's for extra loveliness and attaching the tags.  It will last my lifetime and will be passed on to my grandkids.  OK, are you convinced?  My packages are going to look so cute...you will surely be jealous.  I took an idea off of Pinterest for the gift tags.  You'll have to wait and see how adorable they are!  I am slowly turning into a crafty person, thanks to Pinterest. 

~~*~~

After I put up the new tree, I told Big Sis we still needed a tree skirt for underneath. 
She replied, "Maybe we can use one of my skirts!" 
"No," I answered, "your skirt wouldn't be nearly big enough to fit around the tree."
"Maybe we can use one of yours then!"
Sarcastic little booger...I love her to death!

What's For Dinner?

If you haven't entered my Shutterfly giveaway, make sure to do so right away!  The contest ends December 4th at midnight.  Free fifty bucks!!!

I mentioned a few blog posts ago that I finally succumbed to the ever growing Pinterest fad.  Scared of addiction, I avoided it for years.  Finally, I just decided to cannonball into the the Pinterest Pool.  Yeah, I'm now an addict too, but that's another story.

ANYHOO- I noticed a recipe my friend pinned for Orange Chicken.  I like Asian food, but I'm not a huge fan.  I love P.F. Chang's and have enjoyed anything I've ever tried there.  The photo that went along with the post really reminded me of something I might see at Chang's.  I read the ingredients and they were all fairly normal.  I expected to see things like saki, root of wasabi, and other unpronounceable things.  The ingredient list for this recipe were mostly things I had anyhow.  I decided to give it a try.

Wowzers...it was the most amazing homemade Asian food I've ever tasted!  It was actually better than the Asian food I've had at most restaurants and totally tasted like it belonged on P.F. Chang's menu! 

I worried that the kids wouldn't like it (they like nothing).  They do, however, like fried rice.  So instead of making steamed rice to go along with it, I googled how to make fried rice.  (In case you're wondering, you steam the rice, then fry it in very hot oil.  It can't get much simpler than that!)  We don't like the egg or veggies in the rice anyway, so I just made it completely plain.

The kids tore it up; the hubby tore it up.  I took some to my mom who loved it.  I called my sister-in-law with the recipe and she made it the very next day.  She and her mom both went crazy over it.  She passed it on to her sister, who made it and went wild over it.  This is the new beloved recipe in my circle of friends and will be a regular on my menu!

If you even kind of like Asian food, I would suggest giving this recipe a try.  It's not too difficult to make but tastes like you prepared it in a gourmet kitchen.  Here it is, for all my favorite readers!

Orange Chicken

This is the photo my friend texted
me when she made it.  Excuse the
poor quality.

1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken breasts
1/3 C flour
olive oil
1/2 T salt
1 t balsamic vinegar
3T ketchup
4 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
4 T brown sugar
1/4 t ginger
1 t red pepper flakes, optional

Put orange juice in a mixing bowl to thaw.

Chop chicken into large bit sized chunks.

Add to juice:  brown sugar, vinegar, salt, ketchup, ginger, and pepper.  Stir.

In a ziplock baggie, add flour and chicken.  Shake until each piece of chicken is covered with flour. 

Pour a small amount of oil in a skillet and brown the chicken.  (At this point, the recipe says you can add it to a crockpot to complete cooking.  I kept mine in the skillet and made sure the chicken was cooked all the way through.)  Cover the chicken with sauce and stir.

The recipe says to cook in a crockpot on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3.  I poured the sauce right into the skillet and brought it to a boil, which caused the sauce to thicken.  I served it right then over rice.

*I altered the recipe a bit for my taste.  Reviewers of the recipe mentioned that there wasn't nearly enough sauce for the chicken.  1 1/2 lb. is too much meat for my family, so I just cut down on the chicken and flour and kept everything else the same.  I used two medium sized breasts and one small chicken tender.

*I didn't have balsamic vinegar and didn't want to buy some to use only a teaspoon in the recipe.  I used a teaspoon of white cooking wine instead.

*I know the ketchup sounds gross, but I did it anyway.  I hate ketchup, but you could not taste it in this recipe.

*4 oz. of concentrate juice is 1/3 of a standard sized container.  I just put the rest back in the freezer to use next time.  My mom felt the orange flavor was a bit overpowering.  So if you're worried about that aspect, you could probably use a little less juice or dilute it a bit.

*I don't have red pepper flakes but I wanted to give it a bit of a kick.  I have cayenne pepper, so I used 1/8 t.  It was almost too spicy for me (I'm a wimp), so I might use a scant 1/8 t next time.

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think!!!  I'm going to make it again this week!