My First Turkey

Yep, that's me.  Christmas day.  Horrified.  This is my first turkey.  I got the turkey from my chiropractor on Thanksgiving and figured I'll let my mom cook it when she comes back to town because she LOVES turkey.  I'm like my dad, I can eat it 3-4 times and then I'm done.  My mom, on the other hand, makes little turkey dinners with all the leftovers and freezes them and enjoys them for a couple of months after Thanksgiving.

But since we are starting our own traditions and we are trying new things, I thought I would go ahead and cook that turkey.  I even decided to cook it a different way than I have ever seen.  I used Alton Brown's turkey recipe where he does a brine and then cooks with aromatics.  It was juicy and delicious.  But I was SO scared.  I watched videos, I called my mom a dozen time.  It wasn't just the turkey that was a first either.  It was the stuffing, too.  But we succeeded and it was delicious.  Thanks to all for your encouragement and help.  Especially mom's hot line.  :)

My dinner dates.  They loved having the candles.

Santa came on Christmas Eve, we caught a couple of pictures before bed.  He told us that it took him 2 hours to put together the doll house.

I have to admit that I have even enjoyed some play time with this doll house.

A couple of friends in the stockings.

Aubrie was pretty excited Christmas morning.  Her eyes were sparkling on Christmas morning as she looked around, but one thing got her puzzled...where's Elf?  Our Elf on the Shelf goes back home with Santa on Christmas Eve, and she really missed coming down stairs to see where he was hiding.  But she quickly got over it and went straight to the doll house and began playing.  Emilie was excited, too.  She didn't care too much about opening presents, but she did like getting her stuff out of her stocking.  Emilie's favorite gift was her Nalgene sippy cups.  They are just like big sisters, except purple.  She loved sneaking drinks out of her big sister's cups...it just tasted better!  Now she is so proud and walks around with her cup like she is a big girl.  :)

Here are the girls with their new rolly-bags.

my girls.



Here they are riding on dad's back.  I could zoom out, but Adam wouldn't want me to show you that shot.  For some reason, Aubrie always pushes his shirt forward so she can sit directly on his back.  :)


We had a great Christmas and definitely made some memories.  I forgot to mention that we make homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and I usually make chili cheese eggs, but I didn't have enough cans of chili.  So I settled for bacon instead.  The old me would have been really upset because we ALWAYS have those eggs, but the new me rolls with the punches...thanks to having children!

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Merry Christmas 2011

Don't worry, we are alive.  We have just been crazy busy.  I've wanted to blog for days now, but by the time I stop working, I'm too tired to sit down and try to type something worth reading.  We are trying to take advantage of having grandparents here and Adam being off work to do several projects around the house.  Our garage is a nightmare.  We have a pile of stuff that needs to go to goodwill along with a pile of boxes we need to put out with the trash.  And now we have a lot of boxes from Christmas toys...what a nightmare.  Why do they package things with so much cardboard, twist ties, and plastic??  Anyways, with all this said...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed your time together.  I hope you ate a lot of food and had a lot of laughs.  We sure did.  Let's see, we'll start with Christmas Eve.  The girls wore dresses that Grandpa and Grandma Huhnke gave them for Christmas to attend Christmas Eve service at church.

 While they were cute, the youngest almost got us kicked out of church.  Service started at 5, which is dinner time.  We took a lot of snacks, but it just wasn't suiting her.  We were in the balcony because we were running late (what?  us?) and Emilie just wanted to be down and running around.  She would have dangled over the edge of the balcony if we let her.  Adam had to keep getting up and walking into the hallway with her because at one point (when we didn't let her have her way) she SCREAMED.  Right in the middle of prayer.  Our child. 

Aubrie was good.  She colored her coloring book and sang the hymns.  We took communion together as a family.  When Pastor Ken went to hand Adam bread, Aubrie snatched it and took a bite.  But then when she saw Adam dip his piece into the cup, she wanted to dip hers so they let her double dip.  Why not.  It's Christmas.  Aubrie even held the candle for silent night and sang, but got distracted and let wax drip on my leg.  It didn't feel good.  That will be my first burn for the night.

In the Walker family, tradition is Mexican food on Christmas Eve and Adam liked that tradition so that is what we do.  I had a casserole planned and fried chimichangas.  So as soon as we got home, I had hungry mouths to feed and not much time before bedtime.  Moms, you know how it is.  Screaming kids, frantically preparing dinner.  It happens all the time.  I must not have been paying attention, because I dipped my thumb in the hot grease when I was putting a chimichanga in.  Boy that one hurt.  But we got through and the girls enjoyed dinner.  We got done just in time to decorate a few sugar cookies for Santa. 




She's a taste-as-you-go kind of gal.



This one enjoyed yogurt while sister decorated cookies.  But I thought I would show you this face.  This was her church face most of the evening.  (Don't forget she is teething, so have some sympathy.)



Emilie did decorate one cookie.  But she didn't care as much as sister did.



Having an intelligent conversation about how Santa is fitting down that chimney.  :)

Our plate of cookies for Santa.  CHEESE!!



Sticking our plate up by the television.

We had so much fun.  It was rushed, but fun.  Adam and I have enjoyed making our own traditions and spending time with just our group.  It has been hard at the same time.  We both miss our families, but it is hard to travel with our girls and we want to make sure Santa knows how to find our new house.  :)  Besides, the older Aubrie and Emilie get, the more fun it will be and the more things we will be able to do to enjoy the Christmas season. 

I will post Christmas day and catch you up to what we are doing this week later.  But for now, it is bedtime.  :)

Love to all!

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Katie + Sunny = Lifesavers

I went over to Katie's house a couple of weeks ago with the girls and she showed me some tile that she was going to put up on her fireplace.  I told her I wanted to do my back splash, and she said it would be easy and that she and Sunny could come help us do it.  So we made plans to do it today, but Adam and I had to go to Home Depot to get the supplies.  I asked the guy for help because I wanted help picking out my tile.  He then began to talk to Adam and told him he didn't need mortar, that he only needed this new thing called a "tile mat".  It is a plastic sheet that is sticky on both sides.  You just stick it on the surface, then take the film off, and stick the tile on the sticky surface and you're done.  No messing with mortar.  So we bought it and got all our supplies. 

So this morning the Sundstrom family came over to get started on this project.  Not too long into the project did we realize we needed something from Lowes.  Then we needed something from Lowes again.  By then it was lunch and this whole time, Katie had to do all this measuring and cutting of the stick mats because we had three outlets to work around.  (I was watching the kids)  So that took a long time.  So I made the kids some sandwiches and got out some sourdough bread to make sandwiches for the adults and realized that the bread was all moldy.  AND by then we realized we needed something else from Lowes.  So while the kids were buckled at the table, I ran to Lowes and stopped at Taco Bell to get lunch for the adults.

By the time I got back, Higgs was done with lunch and down for a nap in the guest room.  My girls sat down at the table with us and ate a 2nd lunch.  (Emilie ate TWO tacos...little heifer!)  Then after we ate, I put our girls down and we were all working hard together to get the job done.  We were having a hard time cutting the glass tiles with the tools we had.  We also had a hard time because on the sticky mats, once you push the tile down, there is no turning around.  And there was a couple of pieces that we wished we hadn't pressed so hard.  But, FINALLY, when it was getting dark, we were done putting on the tile and it was time to do the grout.  The rest went smoothly and we took our sweet friends Katie and Sunny out for dinner as a thank you.  We really owe them much more. 

We are so lucky to have such sweet, thoughtful friends who are willing to spend a day off doing a project at our house.  Especially right now.  Katie and Sunny are such a perfect match.  They both work hard and are so creative.  Katie can do any project and Sunny is an excellent cook.  We're so thankful for them and their help today.  Our kitchen looks great!  And best of all, the kids had fun running around and playing together.

Katie helped Aubrie with the princess mat and then we had a dance party.



See Higgs' daddy in the background?  They could be twins. 



Higgs and Aubrie about to kiss.  Between Petey and Aubrie, those safety glasses didn't have a chance.  One whole side broke off.



Hugs for Emilie!



My beautiful back splash.  I can't wait to fry up some chimis and splatter grease everywhere!



Beautiful!

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Buckeyes

We had a rough night last night.  Emilie cried off and on for a couple of hours last night and we couldn't figure out what was bothering her.  She didn't have a fever.  I couldn't figure it out.  She's had a runny nose lately, so I figured it was another ear infection coming on.  Both girls slept in until 8:30 this morning.  After breakfast Adam and I were discussing what could be wrong with her.  He suggested teething but she hasn't been drooling at all.  I grabbed her anyways and tipped her over and put my finger in her mouth only to be met by two sharp little white things on her top gums!  Good call, dad.

Buckeyes

Today was a busy baking day in our house.  I made our sugar cookie dough and put it in the fridge so we can roll them out and bake them tomorrow.  I also made another round of Chocolate Candy Cane cookies.  If you missed that recipe, you can click here.  (And I must clarify if you go back and read that post.  I didn't really get kicked out of Kohls and was asked not to return, I just feel like we were rowdy enough that they could have.  haha.)  Finally, I made Adam's favorite treat which are Buckeyes.  I've never heard of them until I met his family.  They look like the Ohio State mascot.  If you like peanut butter and chocolate, you'll like Buckeyes. 

Buckeyes

from Grandma Huhnke

1 16-18 oz of peanut butter
1 box of confectioners sugar (2 1/2 cups)
1 stick of margarine
3 cups of Rice Krispies

Mix together with hands and roll into small balls.  Dip each ball in a mixture of 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and 3/4 of a stick of paraffin.  Or you can purchase chocolate ready to melt and dip.  Let it cool on wax paper.  You will want to use a toothpick to stab the balls and leave the tops uncovered so they look like buckeyes. 




Here is our Elf on the Shelf hiding in the tree.  Aubrie named him Elf.  Emilie enjoys finding him and pointing him out, too.





I didn't post a picture of our tortilla soup from yesterday, so I went ahead and took a picture tonight.  It was just as good leftover.  SO Delicious!!  Check out yesterday's post if you missed the recipe. 



Here's the gang playing on the girls' new princess mat from Laura.

Aubrie helped do some baking.  She enjoyed using the tenderizer to mash up our candy canes.

Here she is licking a beater.  She really enjoyed helping tonight.

Emilie enjoyed a candy cane while we were baking.  She smeared it all over Adam's shirt on the front and the back.

The other day we were eating leftover brisket and I made my mom's pea salad to go with it.  I love this salad.  I mentioned it earlier when talking about Thanksgiving foods.  It was my brother's favorite but we all enjoyed it. 

 

Prairie Pea Salad

from mom

6 Tbsp mayo
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup minced green onion (we always omit it)
1 cup cubed cheddar (4 oz)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups of frozen peas
2 cups of lettuce (torn)
8 slices of crumbled bacon

One day before serving, combine all but the lettuce and bacon.  Cover and refrigerate.  Just before serving, add lettuce and bacon.  Serves 6.

I hope everyone is enjoying their families and spending some time in the kitchen.  And maybe at the gym, too.  :)

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Chicken Tortilla Soup and Cilantro Lime Rice

Tonight my friend Laura Deer came over for dinner.  I used to teach with her.  She is an excellent school counselor and wonderful friend.  I enjoy her company.  She requested Mexican food and I have been wanting to make a Chicken Tortilla Soup and some rice.  We like to eat at a place called Qdoba and you can order the Mexican gumbo which is tortilla soup, your choice of meat, rice, beans, and a variety of toppings.  It's delicious.  I tried the Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup and it was delicious.  I'll paste it here, but you'll have to go to her site to see all her beautiful pictures and see more details.  I HIGHLY recommend it!

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 cup Diced Onion

1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper

1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies

32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

4 cups Hot Water

2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained

3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa

5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/chicken-tortilla-soup/



I wanted to make some cilantro lime rice and found an excellent recipe.  Laura doesn't like cilantro, so I didn't add it until after I scooped out some rice for her.  But I love this recipe.  It's definitely a keeper.  I always try new stuff when company is coming!  Pretty risky.  I almost ruined it today because I noticed after I poured most of the broth into my pot, that I didn't get low sodium.  I did that once before and it made a soup inedible.  So I scooped out about a cup and added just water.  Luckily it didn't ruin it.  It was so good!



excuse the horrible picture



Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 (15 ounce) can vegetable broth (I used a little chicken broth and mostly water)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 2 teaspoons of lime juice, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, sugar, and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice. Serve warm.

The other day we ate at Jason's Deli for lunch and they have ice cream cones when you're done with your lunch.  Aubrie enjoyed her ice cream with Tia.



This was Emilie's first time eating ice cream.  It was funny because she was so tired, she was kind of in a trance and didn't really get wild.  But you could tell she was enjoying it. 




We went to the library for story time on Tuesday and met up with our pals Katie and Higgs




Here is our library friend Mary Mary.  She is showing us the Santa puppet.  He was really cute.  He moved his mouth, shook his head, and waved.  The girls got really excited.  He was walking around on the floor, but Emilie couldn't stop rushing towards him.  So Mary Mary finally put him up on the counter so we could unleash Emilie.  Aubrie thought he was really cool...




Until she got closer.  Then she got nervous.  This picture cracks me up.  I can't stop laughing.



Love to all!

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Daddy's Home!

Dad didn't really go anywhere.  It's just that he's off for the next two weeks and we are so excited to wake up and have dad around to play with!  

Emilie practicing her volleyball skills. 

Pretty Emilie

Aubrie made a picnic on the couch today.  She loves pretending she's going to the store, "Bye mom.  I'm going to Target!"She likes to carry around a purse or things like this basket and "go places."  Hopefully Santa will bring some more toys to help us pretend play!

Not sharing with Emilie.

I have lots of projects to do since dad is home to help out.  One of them was to paint the kitchen.  Our entire house is painted all the same color, which I like.  But several rooms I want different colors.  I found a picture in a magazine and tried to copy it and I came pretty close.  We hope to one day change the counter tops.  I LOVE the new color.  It's light blue, but can look somewhat grey. There is my man in the picture making some hot tea.  :) 

We had a great church service on Sunday.  Our pastor talked about Mary's call to birth Jesus.  What a gal that Mary was.  That was a pretty difficult calling.  I hope that I will know when God is calling me to do something great.  Mary was just an ordinary woman and I am just an ordinary mom.  We have to remember that, like Mary, our ordinariness doesn't exclude us from the call of God. 

I must admit.  This Christmas season has been exciting and a little hard all at the same time.  Aubrie is at the age where she understands what is going on.  We have come to realize that a lot of families celebrate Christmas differently and we didn't seem to be aware of it until it's time to teach our children about Christmas.  Adam and I both grew up believing in Santa Clause AND celebrating Christmas as Christ's Birth.  We have decided to do the same with our girls. 

We have an Elf on the Shelf that Aubrie finds every morning.  Aubrie named him Elf.  He watches her and then flies to Santa every night to tell him if she's been good.  She doesn't really understand that as much as she likes to just find him every morning.

She reads books about Santa and watches movies with him in it.  We let her enjoy Santa just like she enjoys all the other characters from story books and movies at this age.  We don't think he'll harm her.  She doesn't need to know he is fake, just like she doesn't need to know that Elmo is really a puppet with Kevin Clash's hand making him talk.  It is so good for her to have an imagination and enjoy her childhood.

But most importantly, we teach her that Christmas is a time that we celebrate Jesus' birth.  His birth is a wonderful story that leads to many other stories about His life on Earth and all the events that lead up to His death on the cross.  It is a reality and every day in our house we talk about God, Jesus, and the bible.  Every day in our house, His life is celebrated, and we are thankful. 

I guess it has been hard because I know that Aubrie and Emilie may be told by another kid at a young age that Santa isn't real and I really hope they can hold on to the magic for awhile.  Do you remember when you found out?  Or who told you?  They have their whole lives to figure out the harsh realities of this world and we want them to be imaginative and creative. 

I just wanted to share with you the struggles that have been going on in my mind and I'm happy with our choice. With all this said, I hope your family has a wonderful Christmas...no matter how you celebrate it!

Love to all!

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Snicker Cookies

These cookies are delicious.  If you like snickers, then these are the cookies for you!  I cut my mini-snicker bars in half and made smaller cookies.  Or you can do larger cookies.  They bake on a low heat setting so the Carmel doesn't come pouring out.  You'll find they are the most delicious when they are fresh out of the oven.  So when I eat them, I put them in the microwave for 10 seconds when I want a couple.  :)  Delicious!  Enjoy!

Snicker Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 13 oz bags of mini snickers

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Slowly add eggs and vanilla, making sure they are well combined.  Mix the dry ingredients together and then add to butter mixture.  Set aside and chill for 2 to 3 hours.  Preheat oven to 300.  Divide the dough into 1 tablespoon pieces and flatten.  Place snickers in the center of the dough and form a ball around  the snickers. Make sure that the snickers are covered.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Aubrie helped Emilie put her shoes on today.  She got so frustrated because Emilie kept wiggling.  We had a fun day at home.  We went to the library to watch Tia's second piano concert and then spent the rest of the day hanging out, wrapping gifts, and doing things around the house. 

Love to all!

 

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Christmas Program

When I got married, Adam's family had a baby shower for me up in Indiana.  One thing the guests did was bring a recipe on a card for me to have.  I finally got around to making this one and I'm glad I did.  I don't really have a go-to pot pie recipe, but I think I found one.  It truly was easy and it tasted delicious.  Karen Neeley teaches with Adam's mom.  She is a 2nd grade teacher and has two sons, both grown.  Both math geniuses because they were on Lana's Math Counts Team.  :)

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

from Karen Neeley

3 cups of cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
10 oz frozen mixed veggies
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup of chicken broth
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup of self-rising flour**
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of butter or margarine (melted)

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease a shallow 2 quart cooking dish.  Place chicken and vegetables in dish.  Stir together soup, chicken broth, and pepper; pour over chicken mixture.  Combine flour, milk, and butter.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over mixture in dish.  Bake 40 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

** Can use regular flour and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt instead of self-rising flour.

The girls had their Christmas program at school today.  Emilie's class had a slide show to "Santa Clause is Coming to Town." and they were all dressed in Christmas dress clothes and had little Santa hats on.  Emilie wore a dress that Uncle Robbie and Aunt Kasey got them as an early Christmas present.  Once the slide show was over, they wheeled the kids out in two little portable cribs on wheels and the kids just smiled at everyone and the crowd waved at them and they just looked around and smiled.  We could barely see Emilie.  She was on the opposite side and she's the youngest one there, so she was small compared to her crib-mates. 



You can only see her face.  She's the girl you can't see.  She smiled at everyone though!



Aubrie's class dressed in white and blue jeans and some of them had a smock over the top that looked like a snowman.  They sang "Frosty the Snowman." Aubrie had a green Santa hat on and spent the entire song looking shy with her fingers in her mouth. (Sigh)  It's a shame.  We've had some pretty good Frosty (or as she says FWOSTY) performances here at the house.  Her teachers have also told us she was a clown for rehearsals and to be sure to bring our cameras.  But nothing.  She did remove her fingers to do the thumpity thump thump part.  She also said, "there's my mom and dad!" to about five different kids on the stage.  Too cute. 

There is our fwosty.  Green hat.  Hands in mouth.  Second from the right.

Hands are out!  Doing the thumpity thump thump next to the yellow hat having a melt down.

The older kids did the nativity scene and it was a great program.  We're thankful for a good music director.  I just love Christmas programs!

Love to all!


Since I didn't get good pictures of Emilie I wanted some when I got home, but she didn't want her picture taken.  Cracks me up.




Sweet angel...sometimes.

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