Christmas Eve 2013

This year, we stayed home for Christmas and my parents came over on Christmas Day.  This is the first year the boys have really gotten into the full excitement of Christmas so staying home turned out to be such a fun thing.  Plus it was nice to not have to re-pack and unpack all of the gifts :-)

 We started out our Christmas Eve fun with our annual meal of Appetizers.  This year was a little different because I had to think a little outside the box and come up with some non-dairy type things (no thick and rich cheesy dips!)  We had Beef Tenderloin mini-sandwiches with Honey Dijon Mustard (which are a new favorite!), asparagus wrapped in prosuitto (next time I would just use bacon), Shrimp Cocktail, Chips and Salsa, Chips and Hummus, Fruit with Fruit Dip (for me!), and Bacon Holiday Crackers (recipe coming soon!) Josh ate a little of everything and Nate ate Chips and Salsa :-)

 The boys waiting to open their Christmas Eve gift. 

 For Christmas Eve I like to give them Christmas PJ's, new Slippers and a toy.  This year I found these "build your own monster kids" on a daily deal on Amazon and was sure the boys would love them.  Well, apparently I am not good at Christmas Eve Gifts!!!  Josh did play with his Monster for a few minutes but Nate said, "I don't want to do this you can do it mom". HA!  Oh well, I think they will grow into the idea of the monsters eventually.

 The boys were very interested in the fact that Santa would be coming to the house so they set out snacks for him and his reindeer.  Josh picked out the cookies and even got the plate down from the cupboard (which I didn't even know he was doing until after the fact - the kids can now climb on the counters!). 

 He even carried the cup of Chocolate Milk by himself (but I actually poured it!)

 The boys checking out the treats.

 Nate found some carrots - lots of carrots - for the reindeer.

 The final treat :-)

 Nate - he loves to pose for me and give me big smiles.

 The amazement of Christmas  -- "Mom, I just need to feel that bow!"

 The boys in their new Christmas PJ's.  Nate told me that he could hardly stand and so that is why he has bowed legs and Josh is into making faces :-)

 A family tradition from my Childhood - Facing the Tree with their backs to the camera.  What you can't see is that they are discussing ornaments on the tree which is super cute. 

 Darryl and the boys.

 Me and my boys!

 Josh is becoming a photographer and directed us for this photo.  I love it :-)  Darryl kept trying to give me a kiss and just as he would kiss my cheek, Josh would stop taking pictures and would say, "All Done!"

 Darryl and I did something new this year; we decided to have our Christmas together on Christmas Eve after the kids were in bed.  This allowed us to have a conversation uninterrupted and just enjoy a quiet evening.  This year we each had a small amount of cash to spend on each other plus we were re-gifting one gift and we were supposed to do something creative.  I was able to get Darryl a flashlight he wanted, a Charcoal Chimney for our grill, and some headphones - I love Amazon Daily Deals where things are 50% off - it enabled me to get a little more then I would have been able to get :-)  Darryl got me a flashlight (I wanted a mag light of my own that no one else gets to take!) and a Panini Sandwich maker. 

 The re-gifts?  I gave Darryl an external hard drive.  I had two - a smaller one that he had given me 4 years ago then I have one with tons of storage on it that I got with Birthday Money this spring.  He had been waiting for me to clean off the small one so he could use it.  Now, he finally has it!  He gave me a magnifying glass - he figured I could use it for doing small crafts and scrapbooking - and he is right!

 We relaxed for awhile (and made sure the kids were sound asleep!) before we put out their gifts.  Last Saturday, we took the boys out shopping.  They shopped for each other and for Darryl and I.  Darryl took them to the dollar store to shop for each other and me and I took them to Walmart to shop for Him.  To say they had fun is an understatement.  Their favorite thing?  Shopping at the dollar store because they had $10.00 each to spend on me and their brother.  It was cute to see what they had picked out for me - and they had a reason for every item.  It warmed my heart to hear them talk about the things when I unwrapped them Christmas morning.  They wrapped their gifts (with Darryl's help) on Christmas Eve Morning.

 Santa left a note for the boys :-) 

The stockings!!!  I think I have more fun packing the stockings with fun things then the boys have pulling them out.  This year they each got a clock for their bed, a funny little stuffed toy that squeaks, a bath toy, a clothing item (Josh got boxer briefs which he REFUSES to wear and Nate got a t-shirt), a big tape measure and a Sticker Book.

We knew the boys would be up early so we put our alarm clock in their room and placed a piece of paper on it with the # 7 on it and told them they could not get up until the # on the clock matches the number on the paper.   I heard them up at 6:30 so I got up and took a shower . . .then Darryl and I sat in the living room with just the tree lights on . . .the boys opened their door right at 7:00 ready for the fun to begin!

Christmas Gifts (Now that I can show them!)

Now that Christmas is over, it's time to share some special Christmas Presents! 

First off, last week I worked with the kids to make a special gift for the Grandparents.  I ran across this idea several times on Pinterest and just fell in love with it. I followed the basics given over at Meet the Dubiens

The boys had fun making the fingerprints and I finished them off by framing them.  I found the exact frames I wanted so I could use one frame for both boys.  I also had the kids I babysit make one for their parents too!  When I chose gifts for the kids to make the grandparents I really like Christmas related themes ..  . that why the stuff can be put out at Christmas and then put away ;-)

Second, I found an idea on Pinterest months ago for a great gift for my parents.  I ordered the finished product from Jack and Jilly Designs on Etsy and was so thrilled with the final product! 

Finally, I can share the rest of the photos we had done back in October.  They were done as gifts for my siblings so I needed to wait :-)

 My parents "Just happened" to have my brother, Kens, kids the weekend we had photos scheduled so we decided to create a great Christmas present for Ken and Lynnette.  Now, just so things are clear, there are 8 more grandkids (including two by marriage) but they all live far away.  These are the 5 that live right near my parents so we thought it would be fun to get them together. 

 My brother's kids :-)  When we gave them these photos - my brother saw the photos with his kids and my parents and sucked in a breath of air and whispered "wow" in total awe.  I think he was totally shocked.

 My parents and I :-)

 Me, the single mom HA!  Darryl was home due to back problems . . .my photographer still made me take a picture!!

 The other part of the surprise for my brothers was getting new photos of my parents.  My parents have been married for 50 years and we needed to document that with a photo or two!

 My parents with my kids. 

 And my brothers kids.

We also did these individual photos of my brothers kids - he and Lynnette were so shocked! 

I love personal gifts - they really are so meaningful!

Food Friday - Goulash

Goulash
adapted from a friend

I'll be honest, I was never a big goulash lover until I had this version at a potluck where I used to work (before I decided to stay at home, eat bon bons, watch TV all day, and make my kids wait on me HA).  It is so simple but so tasty.  I thought I would post this now as it would be something fun and easy for New Years Eve! 

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 can diced tomates
1/2 to 1 box of elbow macaroni
1/2 of a medium onion
Parsley, Oregeno, and Basil
Salt and Pepper

Brown the ground beef with the onion; drain.  Add the soup, diced tomatoes, and spices (to your taste) and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.  Cook the noodles and mix with the meat mixture.  Serve. 

Enjoy!
 

Weekly Menu - The one withe New Years Eve and New Years Day

So, planning menus has not been easy lately.  My husband, on a hunch, cut out dairy from his diet and, guess what?  He hasn't been having near the stomach problems.  Do you have any idea how many recipes use some form of dairy?  Even butter bothers him.  We are in the process of trying some of those Lactaid pills (or whatever they are) along with some other vitamin based on the recommendation of someone else who has been through a dairy "allergy". 

I decided to go back and look at last years menu plan for the last week of the year/first week of the new year because, honestly, I'm out of ideas.  I should do this more often :-)  Here is our plan for the coming week.

Friday - leftovers we have LOTS

Saturday - Today we celebrate Christmas with Darryl's family.  We are just doing a cookie exchange so I am going to make Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies - they are loved by everyone, easy, and the recipe makes more than enough cookies.  As far as dinner - we will stop and get something on the way home from the Nursing Home (where we have Christmas since his Grandma lives there).  Depending on the time, we'll either get something to eat in the truck or make a quick stop for something good.

Sunday - Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, and rolls.  A typical winter Sunday Dinner!

Monday - we'll have a pantry meal tonight

Tuesday - New Years Eve!  Last year I started a tradition that I want to continue and that is doing soups for dinner. This year, I'm going to make Chicken Noodle Soup and Old Fashion Veggie Soup.  I'll add a nice loaf of bread (so the kids will eat HA!).  We plan on doing a few fun things with the kids and maybe even letting them stay up until like 8:30 (a whole hour later!) which should be fun.  After they go to bed, Darryl and I like to have our traditional snacks.  What we will have?  I have no idea yet.  I'm waiting, at this writing, to see how those pills work since 99% of our favorite snacks have cheese in them HA!  IF life is good, we'll have Bacon Crescent Wraps, Nachos, Fruit (because it makes me feel healthy hehehe), and shrimp cocktail.  I'm really working on not going over board on our snacks ;-) 

Wednesday - New Years Day!  In the past I've planned these big dinners that we never end of eating.  So, lets keep it real.  I'm going to take a pork loin out and make pulled pork BBQ, Cole Slaw, The Best Baked Beans, and some chips.  I can prep it all on Tuesday so I just have to cook it all today.  With young kids, we tend to still eat at "normal" times so for lunch I'm thinking breakfast (i.e brunch) so maybe eggs, bacon, toast, tater tots and fruit.

Thursday - Leftovers!  I know we will have left over soup and most likely, left over pork from earlier in the week so . .. we'll clean out the fridge tonight for dinner so I have room to put new groceries!

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours, We Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! 

Some Birthday Fun

There is nothing better then a Christmas time Birthday.  It just adds to all of the excitement of the holidays and it is fun finding ways to celebrate. 

Nate's birthday was Sunday so we had a small birthday party for him last week and then celebrated as a family on Sunday.  Originally we had planned to celebrate with the Grandparents on Saturday the 14th but we got hit with a big snow storm so we postponed it until Thursday.

 So, my parents came early afternoon and the in-laws came late afternoon.  The boys were so excited to have Nana and Papa coming over plus my Dad brought a new book to read to the boys. 

 Nate, ready to open his gifts!  This was after dinner.  So, what did we have for dinner?  Only his favorite foods - Mac and Cheese, (blue box, of course), Hot Dogs (well, with some Chili, Onions, and other toppings for the adults), Fritos and Doritos and I added apples and dip even though Nate does not eat fruit ;-)

 This gift was so fun because as he opened it he exclaimed with delight, "This is exactly what I wanted - I picked it out at the store!!"  And, he was right - it was  a Swamp People truck and trailer and is something he saw at the store and asked to get for his birthday.

 He got his own MP3 player . . .or phone as the boys call it :-)  Josh got one last year and he has been WAITING for one of his own!

 More gifts :-)  He also got a Semi-Truck, a Memory Game, the movie "Planes", Money from his cousins and  . . .I think that was it. 

 I asked Nate several days prior, what kind of cake he wanted.  He informed me that he wanted a Rocket, or horse or balloons, "You know mom, one of the cakes from the store - those are cool".  So I picked out, what I thought, was an awesome cake.  When he saw it he said, "This is not a cool cake mom, not at all, I need to go to the store with you to pick out a cool cake."  Well, then Papa stepped in, picked him and started talking about what an awesome cake it was with orange and blue worms all over it.  THEN Nate thought it was cool.  :-)

 Yes, there are only 3 candles; Yes he is turning 4; I so thought I had more candles and that is all that needs to be said.

Josh had to get in on helping him blow out candles. 

The boys had a lot of fun and were said when the grandparents left BUT were asleep in less then 2 minutes once they went to bed.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a fun day with Nate.  One of the nice things about a weekend birthday is you get the whole day to kind of pick when you do what.  We let Nate decide when to open gifts and eat cake!

 Nate (or maybe Josh) wanted to open his gifts in the morning - I think Nate had a little help from Josh on determining this time.  Josh wanted a picture with the gifts too.

 And the birthday boy with his gifts (Thank goodness for Zoom so I can get JUST the birthday boy!)

 Opening his first gifts - some suction cup building . . things.  He was so excited because he had picked this out of a catalog. 

 He also got a game called "Cheeky Monkey".  He saw it advertised on TV months and months ago and has been asking for it since.  The game is hilarious because they have to chase the monkey around to put rings on his tail - I might make Papa and Nana play it just for Laughs on Christmas Day HA! 

 Not to be left out, Josh needed his picture taken again before all of the presents were gone.

 Nate has informed us ever since going to Vacation Bible School at my parents which was a Soccer Theme that he wants to play soccer.  It may not hurt that his favorite person in the world, his cousin Kate, is an awesome soccer player.  SOOOO, we got him a Soccer goal.  He was so excited. 

 This was another gift he asked for from a catalog - it is a race car set and let me tell you, it is fabulous.  Talk about the perfect gift for this little guy!

 Joshua loves to take pictures and video . . .. I'm very sad because we can't find my little "cheap" camera which is the one he is really allowed to use.  I remember the last time I used it, even uploaded photos from it, and since that day I can't find it.  It is in this house somewhere . .. .

 We got hit by a beautiful Ice Storm (good thing we planned on staying in today anyway!).  Figured I would include a few pictures of the storm :-)

 We had lunch - Chicken Nuggets and Fries because Nate loves them and the boys went right back to playing.  About mid-afternoon he was ready for cake.  This time he asked for a cake AND Cupcakes so I baked both yesterday (6 cupcakes and a small cake with left over batter)

 Wait, isn't he turning 4?? Yep!  When we were at the store on Saturday, I let Nate pick out the candles for his cake (since I didn't have any more . .. uuugg!).  He liked the #'s so I showed him the 4 and he said it was not cool, he liked the one because it has polka dots and THAT is cool.  Therefore, his candle is not a "one" but rather it is a polka dot candle and that is according to Nate.

 Nate playing with the suction cups - the boys loved sticking them to the floor!

 Part of the favorite toy - this race track is by far the favorite toy of the day.  The cars have batteries so the boys just had a ball with them.  Best track ever!

One final ice photo - I love how this tree looks in the dark, with the ice and the Christmas lights. 

Besides the gifts above he also got a new book called "The Monstore". 

I highly recommend this book - it is cute, fun, and interactive. 

We really had a great day today and it is a little hard to believe that we have a 4 year old.. . .. who some days thinks he is 24.  ;-)