This Week

The month is flying by already. The boys are down to just ten days before Christmas vacation, and I’m nowhere close to being ready.

We started the week off by taking the kids to the annual Christmas parade. This year the weather was friendly, and not too chilly. The kids had a blast, and came home with bunches of candy.

Thade had his Christmas music program, but the littles and I had to stay home… He had lots of family there too see him sing, and from what I hear the program was awesome.

This week the flu hit too… Dylan came down with it first, and Thade ended up with it today. I’m just hoping that is it for this first round of the flu.

I’ve been crocheting a bit for the boy’s gift exchanges at school. I’m still working on finishing the big blanket for my brother too. I’m down to my last twenty granny-squares to crochet together, and then I have ten rows to crochet onto the main blanket. Then a lot of yarn to trim, and I think I’ll be done.

James had to work yesterday, and I spent the day cleaning, and attempting to catch up on laundry. Today is pretty much the same, there are more dishes to be done, and more icky laundry that needs cleaned.

I did take a bit of time to bake some goodies for the family. I’m gathering ideas for Christmas cookie plates, and making a few practice batches doesn’t hurt.

Tomorrow I hope to make it out to the stores to re-stock the house. I’m thinking of freezing a few meals to have on hand just in case. I’m also hoping that both of the boys will be back to school tomorrow. I still need to find a birthday gift for my Sister-in-law, and finish up the Christmas shopping too. Better get to it, I think the dryer just clicked off.

Dec 6

Decorating For Christmas

This season, I am excited to start decorating for Christmas. So is Agnes, she is my motivation to get to it.

We started decorating the day after Thanksgiving.

This year I’m trying to add little touches of Christmas throughout the house.

Agnes is pretty happy about that.

Before we started, we cleaned… We started tackling the clutter in the “scary closet” and weeded out items that we no longer needed. We also moved out items that had wandered indoors that could be stored in the garage. We pulled out all of the Christmas decorations, and separated them into which room they would be going to. Everyone helped out too. The chore was quickly accomplished, and I’m glad that the storage closet isn’t as scary as it was.

We have a lot done, but I would like to add a few more decorations here and there. Here are a few photos from around our house.

The dining room is now home to the Christmas tree, and a few Christmas displays too. I love the glow of the Christmas tree at night.

The foyer has a few decorations too,

and laundry that needs folded. Ugh, I still haven’t gotten the house quite back together yet.

This year I’ve added Christmas decorations to the kitchen.

There are bright ornaments, and white lights lining my prep-space.

I’ve also lined a small cabinet with seasonal vintage Pyrex pieces, and white Christmas lights.

It is lovely in the evening, and the kitchen looks cheerier too.

It is cold, and dark earlier and earlier here. So I’ve been kicking it on the couch with my hubby.

You can’t beat curling up with a big mug of hot cocoa, a crochet project that needs finished before Christmas, and a few episodes of BSG too.

How is your Christmas decorating going? Are you decorating outdoors as well as indoors?

Dec 4

Thankful Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has become my very favorite holiday. I love cooking, and relaxing with family. This year was one of the best holidays…

We met up at our house for lunch. I started cooking the weekend before, and the day before too. I wanted to get as many dishes done that I could. That way I could spend more time with the family.

The entire family made it to our house. The kids were so excited, and they greeted everyone at the door with big hugs.

Sarah and I set up in the kitchen, and finished making a few dishes. It was so fun having her in the kitchen cooking with me.

We enjoyed a yummy meal together, and then we sat around and got caught up on each others lives. Some were planning on going shopping, and some were planning on staying home.

I stayed home with the kiddos, and made snacks for everybody coming back from shopping.

The day was filled with laughter, stories, big hugs and lots of family. We are oh so lucky to get to spend the holidays together.

Dec 3

November’s Tasty Treats

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen during November. It was so much fun. I can’t wait to start baking Christmas cookies in December! Here are a few photos of what’s been cooking in my kitchen.

I had some leftover Mini M&M’s from Dylan’s Halloween Party. There were just enough to make a batch of cookies.

The M&M cookies went fast.

A few days later, the boys were starving, even though they had a big dinner. So I made up another batch of cookies. This time they were Chocolate Chip.

I also tried a new recipe for Cinnamon Bundt Cake. I had everything on hand to make it, and holy moly did the kitchen smell amazing.

The cake was fantastic. It disappeared fast.

O.k., so I’m trying to get myself a little bit healthier, while not changing my eating habits too much. I made a batch of No Bake Energy Bites, and they were pretty good. I’m going to tweak the recipe a bit, and see what flavor combinations I can come up with.

When the weather is cold, that calls for Chili. I like it best with Homemade Cornbread.

I’ve been eating homemade soup for lunch. I make up a big batch once a week, and then portion it out for the freezer. It takes just a few minutes to warm up, and it is tasty.

When Thanksgiving was almost here, I started cooking ahead what I could. I made fresh pie crust to keep in the freezer until I was ready to use it. I had a plan to make at least five pies for Thanksgiving.

I also made and froze two batches of Dinner Rolls. These defrosted perfectly, and were tasty for Thanksgiving.

To keep the family out of the goodies for Thanksgiving, I made them a Chocolate Bundt Cake.

Finally it was Thanksgiving eve, and it was time to make some pies!

There was a Cherry Pie.

There was also a Dutch Apple Pie, and a Chocolate Cream Pie too. I forgot to get a photo of that one though…

I made a Coconut Cream Pie with Meringue from scratch. I used my Great-Grandmother’s pie plate, she made the very best pies. This was my first time making meringue, and it was a success. Thank goodness.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a Pumpkin Pie.

When Thanksgiving arrived, we set up a buffet in the dining room. The dishes were delicious, and everyone brought some treats to share too.

Finally dessert! My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner.

Delicious!

One more shot of the Coconut Cream Pie. I really was worried about this one. I’m so happy that it turned out, and now I’m over my fear of falling meringue.

This month is going to be busy in the kitchen too, and I can’t wait. Bring on the Christmas cookie baking!

Dec 2

November’s Favorite Photos

Just where did November go… I really can’t believe that it is the last month of the year. I didn’t seem to get too many photos through November, but I do have a few to share.