Recipes

These are a couple of recipes I've tried recently that I have liked.  This first one I made for Thanksgiving and then again the next week.  It is something different to do with sweet potatoes and even my kids liked it.

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

3 T unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 1/2 C milk
1 T fresh thyme
1 T light brown sugar
2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 C finely ground white or yellow cornmeal
4 large eggs, separated
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat to 350.  Butter up a casserole dish with some butter you haven't melted.  Bake sweet potatoes either in the oven on 400 degrees for 45 minutes or if you are like me, in the microwave for about 4 minutes.  Mash up potatoes.  In a saucepan bring milk, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper to a low boil over medium heat.  In a slow and steady stream, whisk cornmeal into milk mixture.  Cook, whisking constantly until it pulls away from the bottom of the pan.  Add potatoes, egg yolks, 3 T butter and baking powder.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks and fold in.  Swirls of egg whites are fine.

Bake 35-40 minutes until edges are golden.

This next one I will make again for sure... maybe even tonight.  LOVE IT! Another use for sweet potatoes. :)

Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas

1 lb (2 big) carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 lb (2 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb red or russet potatoes, cut into cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 16oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I made my chickpeas from dried ones and I threw a bunch in cause I like them.)
2 to 3 T olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Put oven rack to center.  425 degrees.  Place all veggies, garlic and chickpeas in a large shallow roasting pan.  In small bowl combine oil, rosemary, brown sugar, salt and pepper.  Drizzle over vegetables and toss well to coat everything. 
Roast, uncovered, about 45 minutes or so until everything is slightly browned and tender, stirring the stuff a few times.  Makes 8 side dish servings. 

The Two

I was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher and Gwen and Zeke, by themselves, turned on the keyboard and the amplifier and began playing what you see in this video.  They get in so much trouble it ain't even funny.

Thanksgiving into Christmas

Well, we had a nice Thanksgiving full of family memories.  What more can you ask for?  I wrote a really silly skit this year for our talent show after the big meal and my two were little Indians.  Here they are the night before practicing.

I made an appetizer turkey.  I told Ben it was so beautiful I thought I was going to cry.  (not really)

When we got there at the church where we had Thanksgiving Gwen started playing with this nativity set.

Someone gave my Mother-in-law this apron.  I thought it was hysterical! 

My little Indian riding her "horse".

Skit time.

Silly skit and fun times.

baby Indian

Gwen doing a relay.  Yes, our Thanksgiving included relays. 

I have been decorating for Christmas now.  I'm not completely done, but I've got my tree up and these new silhouettes.  Can you tell who they are? :)

The mitten garland is done.  :)

Today we tried something new.  It's called marbling.  It uses oil and food coloring to make these beautiful pictures.  It was fun. 

Zeke screamed and screamed when we put him down for nap today.  Every time I'd go up there and pick him up he'd go to sleep and when I'd put him down he'd scream like I just pinched him.  He finally wore out and this is how I found him.  Holding onto his baby doll.  By the way, he sleeps with two baby dolls.  He loves them. :)

Poem that Inspired

I sang at a funeral last night.  It was someone I didn't know... but this poem moved me to tears.

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name, 
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone, 
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me and if you want to, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effect,
Without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was;
There is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you,
For an interval,
Somewhere very near,
Just around the corner.
All is well.


by Henry Scott-Holland

Ladybugs and Fondue

Yesterday Gwen and Zeke were playing upstairs while I prepared for my fondue/31 bag party.  I heard Gwen say, "Mom, you've GOT to see this!" and when I rounded the corner this is what I saw.  She was very pleased, but not so pleased when we had to release her new friend into the grass.

 

I thought you might like to see my set up for the fondue party.  The two white fondue pots were dessert fondues.  I did chocolate fondue of course and then white chocolate amaretto.  

Do you like my twirly party glasses?  I do.

Then in this corner we have pizza fondue in the red fondue pot with naan bread and pockets with seasoned ground turkey in.  I was super nervous about lighting the fondue pots and about burning the fondue... but it wasn't bad at all and I'll be doing much more "fondueing" in the future. 

Holiday Crafts

Here are some things we've been up to.  Yesterday we made pasta Christmas ornaments.  I saw this idea on pinterest and bought the wagon wheel pasta to do it.  We enjoyed thinking of different configurations for the pasta, but I didn't realize that gluing pasta wheels together is really an advanced skill.  I had them "paint" on the glue with paint brushes.  In the end I think I made these instead of the kids.  In fact, Zeke threw a fit when he realized these were in fact NOT crackers and could not eat them.  Here they are in their spray painting stage.  We will decorate them with glitter glue.  The kids can be a part of that.  We made a diamond, three snow flakes and a tree.  Gwen did ask me to make a horse out of the pasta, but she was not happy with my attempt. :)

These are our hand and foot psychedelic turkeys.  Again, I got this idea from pinterest.  I got the psychedelic look by putting paint on a plate in lines of different colors and they put their hands in without mixing it.  

After the pasta wheels were a little too complex I got out some scrap paper and we just practiced cutting and tracing and gluing.  This is my creation.  I kind of like it!

Love You Through It

Thankful Garland

I made this for my mantel yesterday. My only regret is that I made the "T" yellow so you can't see it that well. :) Can't wait till Christmas decorating!!

Gwen's Funny Faces

Gwen asked me to take a picture of her making this face. I thought it was so funny and cute.

Who says siblings fight all the time? Here are my two watching a TV show the other day. I have caught them several times saying to each other "love you." Storing all of these preciouses in my heart.

Christmas Island

Maybe I'd rather go to Ireland than Christmas Island. :)

Zeke's First ER Visit

Well, Zeke had his first visit to the ER today.  He was jumping on the bed (never again will I let them) and he fell off and hit his head on the nightstand.  He cut his head open and it was bleeding bad so daddy called the paramedics.  I was out and so I raced home of course.  We took him to the ER and they gave him stitches.  He's now running around the house like nothing happened and asking us to "watch this."  

Here are some pictures of our little dumpling after his stitches were put in.  Have I told you lately how much I LOVE THIS BOY??!!  I think I should mention how much I love my brave daughter that helped daddy let in the ambulance people and showed our neighbor where to get clothes.  I also love their daddy! 

Last night Grandpa and Grandma and Aunt Beki were over and Zeke and Gwen took a horsey ride on Paw Paw's back.

Maps

I saw this on a friend's blog and I had to do it too of course. These are the places I've been. WOW... so many places I haven't been!

Places I've been

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

These are places I would like to go. Of course, there might be more because there are many countries I know nothing about!

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Here are some that sounded interesting to me. Do you know anything about these?

Cook Islands

McDonald Island

Swaziland- (like Disney land?)

Christmas Island (GOTTA go here)

Isle of Man (I was so close..but yet so far away!)

The South Sandwich Islands

Soloman Islands (sounds wise to travel here)

8 Years

This is our song. We walked out of the wedding ceremony to it and "For sentimental reasons" is engraved on my wedding band. I love my husband! What a gift from the Lord!

Preparing for the Holidays

Yes, I am one of those people that LOVES Christmas music. I'm lovin' this all men version of Silent Night.

Be Still My Heart

Today Zeke fell asleep on the bean bag.  He is GORGEOUS.

This is also today.  Please don't think I'm horrible for putting this picture here.  I think it is just hilarious and quite honestly gives me hope that one day all of my kids will be out of diapers.  I'm going to throw myself a party on that day.  Zeke has started saying he'd like to go potty when his big sister does.  You see, he thinks he is three years old too.  They laugh and talk in there and have a grand ol' time. 

Thanksgiving Branch

Well... this is a blurry picture, but I have put up a Thanksgiving branch. I took a branch from our backyard and hung it up and cut out leaves and wrote down things and people we are thankful for. You attach them by little bitty clothes pins you can find at art stores. I think it looks kinda cool... but not like in the magazine I found it in. :)

More Halloween

Here are some more photos... this time from Halloween night.  We went to another trunk or treat and also walked around to houses. 

Gwen and Katie Beth.

Two princesses and Mini Mouse.

My two dumplings that live a few doors down.  Love them!

My favorite costume this year I saw.  A cheezit!  I spoke to her mom and she said she is lactose intolerant so she is obsessed with cheese.  When asked what she wanted to be for Halloween she said, "cheese or a cheezit."  HA!

This little dandy was hanging on the porch of a little old lady that came to the door with oxygen.  A little unexpected... this amused me because it looks like this head is a dummy or at one point could talk.  CREEPY!

Halloween 2011 and other News

With the help of my mother-in-law Ben and I got to go grocery shopping by ourselves yesterday.  It felt like a hot date.  In fact, Ben bought me flowers... an orchid that I was admiring.  Its blooms are spidery and cool.  Here is is sitting in my window.  LOVE IT!

This is Gwen ready for our church's trunk or treat.  She is Cinderella of course. 

Who is that crazy person with t-shirts clipped together?  Oh... that would be me going as a nun.

Don't hate me because I'm fabulous in my fur coat my Grandma got me.

The whole wacky bunch.

It's not every day you see a monk holding superman.