Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night

Another Christmas past... I have to admit that going into this holiday, I didn't have a lot of the "Christmas Spirit" I usually have over the Holidays. It hit in waves of excitement and concern over the usual things and the added stress Christmas can bring financially. Everything worked out as always, and the holidays turned out pretty great as always.

This Christmas Eve was spent with the Burrows/LaTurner bunch. It was our first Christmas Eve together in a LONG time - at least four years. Unfortunately Shayne was scheduled to work and it changed our night a little, but we still had a great time together. Mom cooked a perfect dinner, we played the Twas the Night Before Christmas "Left/Right" game, and made time to search for a pickle on hidden on the Christmas tree to bring us a year of good fortune. Shayne left for work around 8:00 p.m. and I was on my own the rest of the night.

My hair stylist (who was a much better talker than a hair-cutter *sorry to say*) gave me a great idea for a new Christmas tradition. She said in her home growing up, the table was always set for Christmas breakfast when they woke up and they ate breakfast casserole for breakfast with a simple recipe. Her recipe sounded enticing, but I found one online that could cook all night in a slow cooker. PERFECT! Do the dirty work Christmas Eve, and wake up to a really tasty hot meal. I even used the crock pot slow cooker bags to help with clean up the next day. I was so excited to set up for my family on Christmas Eve.

Being alone, I guess that made me Santa's helper too. Helping Santa without Shayne was extremely strange to me, and truthfully, kind of boring. Santa had it all put together the night before (thank heaven) and it made it so much easier. It was a little disheartening to go to bed knowing Shayne would be at work all night.

Shayne and our family enjoyed the wonderful candle lit breakfast that had cooked perfectly over night. Danelle was too excited to eat (which inspired next years rule to eat her breakfast before opening anything). Shayne went to bed for a while after that and when he woke up, although we were showered and hair done, we stayed in our pajamas for unwrapping just as if it was the early morning.

Everyone got wonderful things. Santa brought Danelle the Siamese fighting fish she had so wanted, and named him Gill. Kaitlyn got a pink and blue Cozy Coupe car from Santa, and loves it! I finally got Danelle the perfect gift for her; a deluxe "everything" art set. Paints, markers, colored pencils, crayons, paper, scissors, and all the accessories all together complete with easel for the artist's comfort. Best $20 ever spent! Kaitlyn loved her play smart phone... I think I did pretty good picking for the girls this year. They got many more fun toys and activities as well.

Shayne and I got our gifts last minute, but found some really fun stuff. I think Shayne's favorite gift I bought was the remote control helicopter. He said that he always wanted one, but never got one before and it meant a lot to him. It was fun see him flying it in the house... until hit the ceiling, fell on the floor, flew back up and ricocheted off the table breaking a piece... Poor guy has been looking for parts ever since. He also got a shaver, shirt, and some pretty great jeans.

It's hard to say what gift was my favorite. I am enjoying my hair dryer with a brush attached so much more than I thought I would. It's great to straighten my hair, then curl it all in 15 minutes tops. I actually find it easier now than curling it like I usually do. I got some much needed jeans from the second hand store. I could have bought a brand new pair and a shirt but for the same price as that outfit I found four pairs of jeans, one used shirt, and three cheaper WalMart shirts. I felt like I scored, considering I needed clothes that fit (everything else was way too big now). I also got a Campbells Recipe Collection cookbook that I am LOVING. Most of the recipes have pictures included and they are all "real family meals" that I know my family would actually eat. I might blog about some of my findings.

I should add that my Dad drew my name in our Burrows/LaTurner drawing, and Shayne and he went in together on a really amazing gift; a SodaStream. I am loving it. As far as soda is concerned, this is the way to go. It's not made with high fructose corn syrup so its naturally lower in calories; 35 calories vs the 100 calories in the same 8oz of normal soda. Where diet is concerned, SodaStream is the way to go. It's made with Splenda, not Aspartame. Plus, it's good for the environment saving bottles.... OK, OK, sorry I know I have turned into a commercial and your probably wondering what this has to do with Christmas, but I AM way excited. Oh and for the record - it's delicious!

We got many great and wonderful gifts from great and wonderful people. I would name them all but I know I would forget someone. The girls were especially spoiled. I enjoyed watching them open their many gifts and seeing the excitement in their eyes. Minus Shayne working, I think this was a pretty wonderful holiday. I enjoyed having so many family out to share it with us! Tyler, Jessica, and family came from Oklahoma. David from Texas, and later that week the Chadburn brothers and Rebecca from St. George.

It was over in a flash. I look forward to 2012. I have a feeling a lot will change for the better by next Christmas for EVERYONE in our families. We are expecting two weddings, Tyler and Jessica moving back, Evan and Monyka buying a home, and although no one has said for sure - many "possible" pregnancies... ;) Did I mention? Shayne graduates in 2012 as well. Much good is coming! We hope you have a wonderful 2012 and a happy Christmas.

Pie, anyone?

I have only made one kind of pie in my life.... pumpkin! I love pumpkin pie, but the recipes I tried left my pies looking a little green. Everyone said they tasted fine but they never were enjoyed the way I hoped they would be.

A friend on Facebook posted that she was making pumpkin pie, and I was curious what her recipe was. Maybe it was time to get back on the saddle and try again.

Here is her recipe;

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

1 15 oz can of pumpkin
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
**Or - I found out later these spices can be simplified with 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice**
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 9 inch (unbaked)pie crust


Preheat oven to 425. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices, vanilla, and salt together til smooth. Pour into crust bake 15 minutes, then turn temperature down to 350 and bake 35-40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean let cool and enjoy!

**My friend also added that to get a less soggy crust underneath, you can bake the UNFILLED crust for 15 minutes or until LIGHTLY brown. She called this partial baking.**

It was perfect! We enjoyed every bite. I was so impressed, I decided to make a pumpkin pie or two for Christmas Eve dinner. Now I feel like I can move onto other pies since I've mastered pumpkin. Apple pie sounds really good lately.

They Don't Call it TERRIBLE TWO's for Nothin!

Kaitlyn just flipped the switch. She is now in the early stages of the dreaded TERRIBLE TWO'S!!! It seems like only two weeks ago she was easier to manage but NOW she is an energetic, curious, able, loud mouthed little spitfire that is getting into EVERYTHING. She is not laying down well for diapering which makes me question my cloth diapers lately. Lately, she wants to feed herself too - which is WONDERFUL but when she decides to play with her food she won't let me take her spoon and feed her. She is trying to climb in and out of everything... I knock on wood when I say this but with her height its only a short matter of time before I know she will climb out of her crib for the first time (ahhh!). Simple trips to the store or out for a visit sometimes require a lot of energy to keep her contained.

On one hand though, she is doing amazing things. Kaitlyn is putting together words and talking so much. I love hearing what she calls things - for example; in the car I let my girls watch a DVD player for longer trips. I put on Care Bears or Blues Clues for them, and there is a song where they sing "la la la." Kaitlyn now calls Care Bears "La la's." But ELMO is also a "La la." I let her watch 15 minutes of Elmo while I cook us lunch on weekdays, and Elmo sings "la la" at the end of his show. I love hearing her sing it. For Blues Clues, she can hum and sing different parts of the song: "A CLUE! A CLUE!" Makes my heart burst just thinking of her sweet voice singing them.

Also with her talking; I was washing her hands yesterday and when I put her hands in the water, she said "HOT." Ahhh. Danelle heard it too but one night she even said, "NIGH ELLA (she says Elle instead of "Ellie")." I used to write down the words she says but now she is talking SO MUCH I had to force myself to stop. She learns new words every day.

Kaitlyn is understanding my commands beautifully as well. Sometimes, I will test her. Like yesterday, "Kaitlyn - close the door." She closes it. "Bring me the bowl." She brings it. "Bring this to Daddy." She does it. "Don't touch." Haha, now that one is a little tougher - she's not perfect! ;)

She is learning a lot about shapes, colors, animals, and body parts lately too. She is such a smart cookie! She loves books and learning new things. We need to pull out or find many more baby books to keep her interested.

Kaitlyn has a fun personality but she can have a real "attitude" too which I hope no one takes personally. She seems to prefer her uncles to hold her more than the aunts... interesting huh? She loves her aunts but she seems more 'warm' with the uncles. When it comes to women, Kaitlyn is mostly partial to me and my mom, but after some time with other women she can be very loving. I think the best way to win over Kaitlyn is by playing with her - she remembers it.

Meet the new Betty Crocker

In this house, it seems like we have the same meals every month. Our menu usually looks like this:

Taco's or Mexican food in general, like nacho's
Sandwiches or Burgers
CHICKEN! CHICKEN! CHICKEN! Cooked in many styles
Rice with something
Spaghetti
Fajita's
Soups
Breakfast for dinner
Hamburger helper or frozen meals
Roasts - of any kind
BBQ meats
Asian stir fry style dinners
Homemade pizza
Chili

And... that's about it. Honestly. Sometimes I will think of something new like NAVAJO TACO'S, POTATO BAR, or FISH. Most the time though, I can't think of or know how to cook many other dinners, so I just stick with what works. It's finally happened though. After eight years of marriage, and hundreds of nights of the same dinners, I decided maybe I should learn some new meals.

Here is my new plan; I am learning a new dish from a cookbook every week for the rest of this year and into 2012. That's 57 new meals. I started this week with a simple one; Vegetable Beef Soup from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. It was AMAZING. Learning from the cookbook did take longer, but now that I know how, this dish will be more simple the next time around. My family loved it so much, they ate it for lunch instead of dinner. It was a big hit!

I have already decided week two I will attempt to make Chicken Fried Steak from scratch and homemade country gravy. Wish me luck. I am debating posting my cooking experiences with each on this site - maybe.

Who knows, maybe there will be another great chef in the family. ;)