Post Thanksgiving - We gotta have Snow!

People around here are glad not to have snow. Crazy. That is what winter is. Not the fakey stuff on Snowflake Lane. The stuff that is cold. That freezes your ankles till they are red, because you didn't pull your boot straps tight. The stuff that makes cheeks rosy and red.

We love the snow. We had to go find some. Yup, we like to eat it too.

Plus we had some new sleds to test for speed.

We ask a guy, "Are there any good hills around here to go sledding?"

"Sure, about a 1/2 mile up it gets real steep." He points.

We walk for about 1 1/2 miles. I carry Makenzy bundled in her snowsuit. Heavy. Refuses to ride in sled. Then we find IT.

Lame, lame sledding hill. Everyone around us confirmed this was it! We had to push to get going.

Finally, found a little place OFF the path, that some other family had worked to build up that had some umph and speed to it. "Good times, baby, good times," as Cayden likes to put it. Cade has great balance on his board. I think he is leaving his sledding days in the dust.

At our pretty rustic cabin. Warm and cozy. Randy woke up during the middle of the night to stoke the fire. Kept us warm but we all went home smelling smokey. Ahh, the smell of getting away.

Target practice. He loves Cade's bb gun. Heck, have fun, blow the paper target to bits, but don't shoot your eye out or hit the truck.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving company - Roos family (minus their twin girls who were off playing), White family, and Julie's parents, the stand in photographers. The meal was delicious, the ambiance wonderful, the company enjoyable, clean up committee a breeze, and conversation great. The kids had a great time playing and jelled very well. Thank you again Roos family.

In the next few years, I expect to cook less and less. Why? Because my kids will doing most of it. I hope. I really hope. Already, they have perfected some pretty tasty bites. Pancakes, eggs, fudgies, shakes, and more recently eggnog. This is Makayla's signature drink so far. Madalyn helps, but Makayla is head chef on this one.

Homemade Eggnog Recipe

6 fresh eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
2 cups cream (or substitute with 2 cups whole milk, also makes it a bit lower in fat)
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg (or just the nutmeg in the bottle)

Separate egg yolks and whites. In large bowl beat egg whites until fluffy; add 1/2 cup sugar.

In 2nd bowl, beat yoks until creamy; add 1/2 cup sugar. Fold in beaten egg whites.
Carefully stir in the cream, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour into container. When serving, garnish with nutmeg.

Randy and his cousin Brian. Their momma's are sisters, Bonnie and Jerri. Also, if anyone in the area needs orthodondist work, go see Brian Roos. He'll help make your smile!

My first year making homemade cranberry jelly. Beautiful. the kids thought I was crazy to take a picture, but I thought the red berries were a delectable contrast to the gray saucepan. And the result, good. I used the recipe on the back of the bag and added a bit or orange zest.

Stuffed mushrooms. Makayla's fetal craving. Marianne Emerson made a huge batch of stuffed mushrooms at Thanksgiving when I was pregnant with Makayla. That year, I definitely had my fair share. Since then I have confiscated her recipe, and these oh so yummy indulgences. Tradition.

We also got Oma hooked on these. A batch of stuffed mushrooms has served as her birthday present a time or two.

Our Stuffed Mushroom Recipe -

This came from Marianne who probably got it from someone else. I don't have exact measurements because I just make it up to taste and/or ingredients. But the basic is....

2 Jimmy Dean regular sausage rolls (16 oz. each)

2 Philadelphia cream cheese blocks

2 bunches green onions, thinly cut

1 package bacon cooked and crumbled, or cut up depending on how crunchy you like your bacon

While making, don't freak if you have a little more of one ingredient than another. It all smooshes together and tastes good.

Cook sausage and bacon. Mix in with cream cheese and green onions. Scoop into 20-30 white mushrooms that were previously de-stemmed. I use my pampered chef tomato corer to remove a little of the inside of the mushroom as well. Place on a slotted pan with water underneath to help steam the mushrooms. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. If I have more mix than mushrooms, it is also great to throw into scrambled eggs or on a sandwich.

Before we left, Cayleb was worried the Roos boys might not know about Star Wars and playing "army guy" with guns and stuff. It has been awhile since we saw them last. Lucky for him, they were equipped with the goods. The boys had an awesome time playing inside and night games outside too!

Makenzy was so excited to play with Sally and Jane's new girl stuff. However, when one of the girls showed an interest in her squeaky shoes, Kenzie wasn't ready to share. No way, no how. Girls and shoes, it starts early.

We taught their family the swinging game "one for the money, two for the show...". But it is a little tricky grabbing six little legs and arms. So a bed sheet was the answer. All 3 girls climbed in and we swung them from side to side.

Pure Gut, Gurgling, Giggling

Nothing beats your daddy tickling and "eating" up his baby girl.

"Artsy-Smartsy" Birthday Party

On December 29th we celebrate her birthday as a family. But for anything else, my little artist has a roving birthday party date. I urged January she wanted November.

Theme? PARTY. Artist - Madalyn, Gallery - Our house, Art Show - November.

Dinner, paint, brushes, colors, smocks, crafty stuff, googly eyes, lipstick = Art Party Fun!

We made penguin water bottles. To expedite the project and minimize paint, I painted the bodies ahead of time. We were so crazy busy, I didn't get a pic of the girls, but this is how they looked. Cute idea from Family Fun.

Created dry-erase frames for the girlie's rooms.

Custom paint job on these! Hot cocoa anyone?

Painted edible one of a kind masterpieces on a sugar cookie canvas.

Universal idea for lots of occasions.

Edible paint -

2 egg whites

1 tsp. water

food coloring

Presto!

Friendship. A fine art form indeed.

Friend picture keepsakes. Afterward, we gave a copy to each girl.

Classic "face art". Closed eyes. Crimson lipstick. Lot of giggles. Nail art, pictionary while eating donuts on a string, more giggles, more lipstick.

Smile!

One creative cake. One creative wish. One creative girl.

Birthday Me!

As a kid, I remember my parents saying they didn't really need or want anything for their birthday. Rather all they really wanted was for us kids to get along, to make our beds without being asked, to wait our turn for the bathroom instead of pound on the door, and not leave fingerprints on dad's car windows - simple stuff.

When we really pressed my dad for birthday ideas, he would say new socks or black combs. Liar, I thought. Deep down I knew they wanted some grand gift. A trip. A spa retreat. An exotic and expensive dinner with 50 of their closest and best friends. Something big.

Now that I am a grown up, my kids think I am a birthday liar too. (Sometimes I really do, lie, but then I call it stretching the truth and there is a good reason for doing it but my parental hypocrisy is up for discussion another time).

When they asked me what I wanted, I really didn't want anything. A nice day that created a memory. And that is what I got.

Belgian chocolates all over my nightstand, dresser, and bathroom counter. One caveat, I didn't have to share with anyone. Extra sleep, school lunches already packed, a gourmet breakfast that even took some pre-birthday preparations, my own custom birthday crown, some new clothes, lot of birthday wishes (thanks to my facebook page) and phone calls and cards, no cooking all day, Thai dinner with whole family at our fave place, The Royal Orchid, birthday cake #1 mango and coconut milk and fried bananas, birthday gifts, my kids massage coupons, and an individual candle blowing out session 34 times with my boys who stayed awake until it was officially my birthday (we were laughing so hard because we did it the snort way, the old lady way, the hyper way, and lots of ways, and of course, with boys, the fart way), birthday cake #2, and cake in my face.

Thank you to everyone who celebrated my birthday with me. It was exactly what I wanted. No lie!