Goodbye Thanksgiving, Hello Christmas

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday up in Chicago last week and have the heartburn to prove it. I ate my weight in turkey and fixings, but am ready to get back to the grind. We were able to get most of our Christmas shopping done too, and fit in a most excellent trip to IKEA.

By the way, my sister-in-law, Kelly made the best sweet potato casserole with a sweet crushed praline topping. WOW. I'll post the recipe soon, since some of you do a similar meal for Christmas as well.

Thank you to our family up north who were such wonderful hosts and made this Thanksgiving one to remember! Lots of one on one time, right?

We miss you guys already.

Barbacology School

Hey all you Utah Mormons, is this for real? I hope so because it is so funny! "Your hairdo is only limited by your imagination... and how far along we are in the semester" ha ha ha ha ha

Pies Pies Pies

This is what I wish my Thanksgiving dessert table looked like. Oh so delightful, and sweet! There are too many varieties to choose my most favorite, but I think the one above might be it. I've never tasted a "cranberry creme brulee" pie before, and it looks questionable, but I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy a slice. Creme brulee is scrumptious and cranberries are scrumptious so, there you go.

TIP: Here's one from the lovely Janine T. aka the blogger from "Janine's Crazy World" for a perfectly delicious pie crust. I've remembered it all these years because it works every time. -When using a double pie crust, before baking, brush the top with milk/cream and then sprinkle (heavily) with sugar. Sometimes I use cinnamon sugar, if it goes with the flavor of pie.... Also, when I make an apple pie or apple pie variation, I always put pats of butter between the apples. It makes a richer filling and it helps to thicken the juices into a wonderful syrup! Happy Baking!!!

Do you have any good pie making tips, or a perfect recipe you'd like to share? If you don't want to share your recipe with everyone, it's OK, just email me directly and I won't tell a soul.

You Say it's Your Birthday....

I had the BEST birthday yesterday!

Scott took the day off and for the first time in years, went Christmas shopping with me! It was wonderful. I asked him what he thought about every little purchase and he was a super trooper, very enthusiastic. We got about 1/4 of our shopping done, so my plans for a slow paced, laid back Christmas are still a go!

We also got my van detailed, so the funk of 8 years is completely shampooed away! Woo Hoo!!! Could it get better than this?

We had a delicious Greek lunch and birthday cake after dinner.... and I didn't have to pick it out. HE picked it out, and it was delicious, chocolate with whipped frosting.

So, get this, my kids pooled their money and got me "The Best of Hall and Oats" CD!!!

While I'm tickled and flattered that my little ones would pay for it themselves, I am absolutely floored that my husband agreed to not only buy it, but bring it into the house! That is true love. He did say he made sure the cashier knew it was not for him, but for his wife, and in the end, the pubescent cashier didn't even know who they were anyway.

The best part of my birthday every year is opening the homemade gifts the kids put together, and this year they outdid themselves. Grace and Sophie made beautiful cards, and gave me some string bracelets. They also gave me the last of their hand lotion and Grace decided to let me have one of her birthday Target cards. How sweet is that?!!! I gave it back, of course, but will take her out this week to spend every last penny, probably to replace the hand lotion and bracelets.

PS. Happy Birthday to my niece Betty, nephew Christopher, my dad Ronald, and my sister-in-law Kelly! GO Scorpio's, right?!!!

Flashback Friday

I had totally forgotten about this song until last weekend when Scott and I rented "The Proposal", starring Sandra Bullock and the very cute Ryan Reynolds.

Anyway, it reminds of my teenage years, living in Bischofshiem, Germany. IT WAS STRAIGHT UP GHETTO full of fights over everything from dice rolling to "that ain't my baby daddy", grillz everywhere. I only came out of my apartment when I absolutely had to... BUT, on the bright side, it's also where I learned my mad rapping skills.

"I wanna rock right now, I'm Rob Base and I'm here to get down...."

You know you know the words!

Hmmmm

When I'm really stressed out, I like to do mindless things. Lately I've been visualizing and dreaming about someday retiring in a cute little farmhouse in the country (maybe Virginia) with some chickens and a well. I've even been collecting photos and trying to decide exactly what feel would be comfortable long term/ the rest of my life.

That garden belongs to the gal from "The Bumblebee Blog", and is EXACTLY what I would want. So organized and pretty. She has pictures of this garden all year round and it's amazing how much it changes! JUST AMAZING.

I'm so stressed out.

Thankful Thursday, on Wednesday

Happy Veteran's Day everyone!

I'm so grateful for our veterans and active duty military! My grandfather was a Marine, my late great uncle Dave was a Navy man who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Another one of my uncles served in the Navy and another served in the Air Force. My dad is a retired Army soldier who served 3 tours in Vietnam and also in the Gulf War, and my husband is a West Pointer who served in Bosnia and Kosovo. I'm so grateful for a rich military heritage and for learning, from as far back as I can remember, to love my country!

While I have very strong feelings about our current foreign policies (20+ years) and wish, our government could go back to actually upholding our constitution, I've always supported the individual troops who serve and understand the sacrifices they and their families make on a daily basis. There aren't a lot of things that are harder to do than to say goodbye to your loved ones, not knowing if you'll see them again. On top of that, getting through the long separations, and then the difficult adjustment period when they redeploy... phew, it's all very stressful!

That's why, for me personally, every Veteran's Day, along with a deep feeling of gratitude toward our veterans and active duty soldiers, I'm extremely thankful that my family and I don't have to deal with deployments anymore and that my husband works a lot closer to home. It's truly a blessing!!!

A Table of Plenty

(American) Thanksgiving seems to be the most overlooked holiday with stressed out retailers trying to get a jump start on Christmas. It's really unfortunate because it's such a lovely holiday! I hate walking into a store the day after Halloween and seeing nothing but Christmas stuff because I don't like being rushed. It's stressful.

So, for those of you who are enjoying this tremendous fall weather and looking forward to celebrating and/or hosting Thanksgiving dinner in a few weeks, here are a few delightful ideas to inspire and perhaps help make your table a little more festive!You can find the templates and instructions for these fun crafts and even more by clicking on Martha's face in the upper right hand side of my blog. She also has a lot of holiday recipes posted. Martha likes Thanksgiving... it's a good thing.

Mini Lemon Cheesecakes

With the holidays quickly approaching, some of us will be lucky enough to have the time to either throw a party or be invited to one. The best thing about parties, is the food, but what to make, what to bring?!!!

Well, how about some lovely mini lemon cheesecakes? You won't seem pretentious, but people will definitely be impressed. These are delicious (not too sweet or rich), and they're super easy to make.

MINI LEMON CHEESECAKES:

12 vanilla wafers
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup white sugar
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling/ whatever you want to top it with

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Line mini muffin tins with paper baking cups or spray the tin with PAM. Place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each one.
In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs, lemon juice, and sugar. Beat until smooth and thoroughly combined, scraping the bowl a few times.
Fill each baking cup full with cream cheese mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 17 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. Top with fruit pie filling. Pipe whipped cream or sweetened cream cheese into a rosette on top of each cheesecake just prior to serving, if desired.

Enjoy!!!

I don't know about you all, but I've had a funky couple of months. Typically, the kids bring home their foul germs from school, spread it to their siblings, Scott gets a touch of whatever and I'm immune. I think I've had the "too busy to get sick" inti bodies and was grateful, albeit perpetually exhausted from nursing everyone else.

Well, this year, having all my kids in school full time, I've been catching up on my sleep with a few morning naps. The problem is, it's thrown off my delicate balance and I'm now the sickliest one of all!

For a while at the beginning of the school year, I had these phantom pains in my side that sometimes reduced me to moaning and yelping when I turned a certain way. I've had colds, headaches, flu-like symptoms, then the full on stomach flu AND now my eye won't stop twitching! It's almost like I've aged 20 years in a matter of months.

Maybe all the years of birthing and nursing have finally caught up with me.

Gees Louise.

Flashback Friday

When I think of any memory, there is ALWAYS a song to accompany it. I know, how very Ali McBeal of me... but seriously, it's true. Some of blogging friends post funny or inspirational stories from their past, but I only have weird memories that no one but my sister and I would think are funny- But, hopefully someone will enjoy my walk down memory lane via music, and hopefully this will last longer than my karoake posts, where I ran out of lyrics after 3 songs.

I picked Xanadu first because, 1. I LOVE THIS SONG, and 2. Most of my early childhood memories include Olivia Newton- John in some way or another. I was/am a huge fan.

Thankful Thursday

A few weeks ago, I was downtown shopping, when I noticed tons of people in hoop skirts and Civil War uniforms. Of course I immediately thought, "Did I go back in time?", and then I thought, "Duh, it must be the ceremonial burial of the unknown soldier every one's been talking about!" How silly of me.

I love living in the south, and I'm thankful especially to be here in Tennessee. It's a beautiful state!!!

I am thankful for "Family Home Evening". It's such a great program, and while it can be extremely aggravating and trying at times, it's wonderful to see my children learning to do so many different things. Last week Grace was in charge of the lesson and put together the "Happy Box". She had various items inside that represented things we can do to be happier people, and we had to guess what was what. It was so creative! Every week, my children learn to teach, conduct, lead music, etc. through Gospel principles! It's truly a blessing, and a reminder that the Lord knows exactly what we need, even when we don't. I am thankful for sweet surprises. Our Young Women at church surprised me and a couple of other gals last Sunday with a gorgeous bouquet of roses, thanking us for our help with the Youth on Broadway program. I have to admit, I didn't do nearly as much as the other two gals, but gladly accepted the roses, and had them proudly displayed in my kitchen until they completely shrivelled up!

If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear

Sign Up for 6 Weeks of Holiday Fun! Martha's team of elves has put together a six-week workshop to help you get ready for the holidays! You will find plenty of ideas to make the most of this magical and memorable season, including:

-Martha's best holiday tips.
-Handmade gifts, stockings, and ornaments.
-Expert tree-trimming and wreath-making techniques.
-Hostess how-tos and a magnificent holiday menu.
-A gingerbread-house contest.
...Plus much more!

More than 100,000 people have already joined -- don't miss out on the fun, beginning November 16!

http://www.marthastewart.com/christmas-workshop-signup?xsc=eml_cws_2009_11_04

Things That Scare Me

Everyone has their fears or phobias, or whatever you want to call it. Here are a few of my big ones:

-I'm afraid of sneezes. Not my sneezes, but everyone else's. I get extremely grossed out when someone sneezes, especially a sprayer and more often than not, will leave the room. I feel sick just talking about this.

-I'm afraid of mice and other small animals. I can deal with snakes, lizards, bugs (I actually love Praying Mantis', with their human like heads), but not mice. I'm even afraid of rabbits. Yuck!

-I'm afraid of used upholstered furniture. It's not a snobby thing, I just always imagined that someone may have peed or worse and all that stuff is still in there. I also think that any kind of fluid eventually dries into a fine powder which is released when the soft cushions are disturbed. So, unless I'm going to have the whole thing professionally reupholstered, I just can't do it.

-I'm afraid of the book or movie, "The Shining", even when it's edited for TV. Something is just not right there.

-I'm also afraid of the dentist and religiously floss my teeth to prevent having any work done... but I still go twice a year and still end up with cavities.

What are some of yours?

Thanksgiving Prep

I love Thanksgiving dinner. I look forward to it every year and am rarely disappointed, especially when it's pot luck style. It's always nice to try other people's traditional dishes and share a couple of your own. So, thinking ahead a bit, I thought I'd share two of my all time favorite sides with you. These are no fail dishes that I promise will not only go beautifully with turkey, but are always crowd pleasers!



Corn Pudding: (A southern favorite, from my all time southern favorite, Ms. Rosemary K.)

1 melted stick of butter 1 package of Jiffy Cornbread mix
3/4 large container of sour cream
1 can cream corn
1 can drained corn

-Mix well and bake at 350 in a glass casserole dish for about an hour. It should be golden on top and somewhat firm. Soooooo delicious!





Cranberry Relish: (From my old friend Cathy M., the real Martha!)

2 C chopped granny smith apples
2 C fresh cranberries
2 C raisins
1/2 C slivered almonds
1/3 C chopped walnuts
2/3 C sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

-Mix together and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Then cover with foil and bake for 20 more minutes. Let it cool slightly before serving.



OK, so if any of you have some "out of this world" holiday recipes, and care to share, please do! I'm looking for a good pecan pie, a stuffed mushroom appetizer, or really anything else that's delicious and comforting.

Halloween 09

Halloween was a last minute scramble here at my house, because I had the stomach flu the 3 days leading up to it. It was awesome. Fever, chills, vomiting... you name it, I had it. So, for the first time in years, we did not carve pumpkins or decorate so much, but I'm calling it a victory against all odds anyhow. The fact that the kids actually walked out of the house on time for trick-or-treating with costumes on is a miracle!

Spencer: Nerd

Grace: 50's Waitress

Sophia: Ballerina

Oliver: Frustrated Teen (just like last year)

A Tale of Four Kitchens

1. This is the kitchen from Turkey Hill, Martha's former home in Connecticut. It was an 1805 farmhouse she renovated many times over, but in the 90's, she completely remodeled her kitchen, adding cream cabinets and this enormous pot rack. I love how light and bright this kitchen is, don't you?

2. In her New York City apartment, Martha goes a bit more modern and has a nearly all stainless and glass kitchen. This is more of a galley style, which I love, and is very clean looking.

I bet Martha is a very good dish washer.

3. Out of all of her homes, Skylands in Maine is definitely the most rustic and earthy. She uses a lot of beautiful wood, stone and other natural elements, but my favorite is this open wooden shelving she calls "The Great Wall of China". It's so pretty, but is it practical? I think it would get dusty, but it's probably not a problem when you have a cleaning staff.

4. Last but not least, Martha's newest kitchen, on her farm, Cantitoe corners. I love all the different grey tones and marble, but Scott thinks it looks like a prison. Hmmm....

Which one do you like the best?

Pancakes

I love pancakes. I make them a lot, 2-3 times a week and actually have the recipe memorized, which is weird. BUT, once you make them, you'll see why.

Pancakes with Buttermilk syrup:

2 C all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
2 eggs
2 Tbsp veggie oil
2 C milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice

-Mix dry ingredients. Add the eggs, oil, milk and lemon juice. Mix well and let the batter sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a skillet or non stick pan on medium heat, and then cook them. I use Pam spray and not oil when I cook them because I think the oil makes them greasy.


Buttermilk Syrup:

1 stick of butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 C sugar
1/2 C buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

-Melt butter, then add the other ingredients and slowly heat to a boil in a medium saucepan. (This syrup is very rich, so you don't need a lot per pancake!)

Does Anyone Remember....

Do you guys ever have weird memories of things and no one else knows what the heck you are talking about? This happens to me a lot.

For example, does anyone remember those BYU short films from 70's? A few of them still live on (Johnny Lingo, John Baker's Last Race, Uncle Ben, The Phone Call), but a lot have simply disappeared. Like the movie about the brother and sister who kept fighting at the dinner table and then the brother got hit by a car and the sister was asked to give blood to save her brother's life. So, she did, but there's a twist... she thought that, "when you give your blood away, you die". Holy cow, she was willing to give her life for her brother?! Of course the little girl did not die, but that's not the point.

OK, how about this one. A little boy is on his way to school and is hit by a car (again?) and his parents are devastated. His father especially has trouble dealing with the loss and controlling his anger. He finally is able to forgive the young teenage driver when he sees a sign his son colored in his bedroom that simply says, "Love One Another". This one was based on a true story.

PLEASE tell me someone remembers.

How about "Blind Love". The story of the single gal with self esteem issues who marries a blind man. (Set in the 30's or 40's) He later has the opportunity to restore his sight through a revolutionary operation and she is super scared he won't love her when he sees her. Of course when he does see her for the first time, he loves her and thinks she is beautiful.

Help me.

Oh one last thing, does anyone remember those hair ties from the early 80's that were made out of 2 pieces of fluffy yarn, simply twisted together? I think Drew Barrymore wore them in E.T. If so, what were they called?

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for a much needed break from life. We went to stay with my mom and dad for a couple of days over fall break and I feel much better! My mom fed me til I was sick, and it was awesome!!!

I am thankful for Sophie Twinkle Toes Ballerina, who let me help her with a school project last night. She was supposed to decorate a paper Sophie, decked out in her finest Halloween wear. So, after I convinced her a ballerina would be the best/easiest to do, we set to work. This is the end result.

She did a great job!!!

I am thankful for my big win last week! I entered Suzanne's Halloween bag contest and got these beauties in the mail right before we left for our above mentioned break. She's so talented and included a sweet note, explaining a second bag was included so there was no drama in the ranks. Thank you so much Suzanne!!! The girls LOVE them!

I am thankful for fall and beautiful fall foliage. My maple tree hasn't started to color, but my mums and grasses are so pretty! I'm also thankful mowing season is almost over.

I am thankful for prayer. I know if we pray with faith, a sincere heart, and real intent, our Heavenly Father will answer. I promise.