Christmas 2018

Well, Christmas 2018 was 6 months ago, and Christmas 2019 is just 6 months away.  I guess it means I should recap last Christmas finally!

On Christmas Eve we went to service at our church, and then we went and had a sleepover with Memaw.  It was Sarah's first time to spend the night there, and it was very special.

Robert had some vacation time left to use up so he was able to mostly work four day weeks in December which was really nice!

We went to an alumni event at Drury with my parents and enjoyed a Christmas breakfast, crafts, music, and a visit from Santa.  This Santa was rather short, and Sarah said, "That's not the real Santa.  It must be his brother."

Sarah and the other pre-k kids at church did a great rendition of Little Drummer Boy!

Sarah got to participate in a Nutcracker ballet clinic and had a blast!

Decorating was so much fun this year!

We enjoyed a weekend trip with my parents!

Sarah loves Sweet Milk aka eggnog and building gingerbread houses.

Sarah had a darling concert at school.  Dad, Robert, and I were able to attend.  They sang a few songs, and Santa even made an appearance.

We even spied Santa at Sky Zone!

We went to KC for a weekend with Robert's family and a pit stop to visit Jim.  Taylor was at work. :(

On Christmas morning Sarah was thrilled to open presents of course.  This is also when Jim and Taylor told Sarah that Taylor is pregnant.  Sarah found it hard to believe since Taylor's tummy didn't look very pregnant yet, but now she can't wait to meet baby Will and enjoys feeling for his kicks.

Tasty Recipes

I wanted to share some recipes with you that I found on Pinterest, tried, and our family liked.  Robert and I both enjoy cooking, but with two kids at home, I typically need to look for recipes that are fast or can be prepared in advance.  Sarah is old enough now that she truly can help which is very fun! 

Snickerdoodles - Robert has historically said that he doesn't like snickerdoodles which is a shame because I love them.  I found this recipe for a thick and chewy version, and he loves them!  I guess what he doesn't like about most snickerdoodles is when they're thin and crispy, so if you're the same way, you will like these!

Lettuce wraps - I guess these are a replica of a menu item at P.F Chang's, but I actually make it as a salad instead of a wrap.  You can use romaine or any other lettuce mix you like.  I omit the mushrooms because Sarah and I don't like them.  If you don't have almond butter, use natural peanut butter.  I've even used natural crunchy peanut butter before and it wasn't a big deal.  If you use almond butter it'll be Whole30 compliant.

Refried beans - It seems a little over the top to make your own refried beans, but when I got a pressure cooker I was looking for recipes and found this one.  I don't use dried beans because Aldi doesn't have them, so I seriously just use a large can of pinto beans and less water than it calls for.  Robert says he can never eat canned refried beans again after having this.  After it's cooked, I drain out some of the water before blending it up with my emulsion blender.

Sausage, egg, and cheese balls - Ok, these are amazing.  You can't taste the coconut flour at all, and they taste like a treat and not like they're keto.  Everyone loves them.  Sarah can usually eat three which is saying something!  Instead of using breakfast sausage we use plain ground pork.

Chicken sausage and veggie sheet pan - I came across this recipe a few years ago and now I make a variation of it at least once a month.  You just need chicken sausage, any vegetables you have on hand, oil, and spices.  You can't go wrong!!!

Homemade breakfast sausage - This tastes just as good as store-bought sausage and is so much better for you!  You can make it without salt if that's necessary for your health needs and you really can't tell a difference.  Make a bunch in advance and freeze as patties or ground up.

Cranberry jalapeno dip - This dip is amazing!  It's one of those where you could sit down and eat the whole thing.  You have to prepare some of it the night before, but it's worth it!

What are some of your favorite recipes these days?

Trip to the East

My dad, Robert, Sarah, and I drove to Pennsylvania in 2015 when Sarah was two months old, and this spring it was time to do it again!  We went over spring break and had a great time!  Sarah really did do well in the car.

3.5 years ago and this time as well, we stayed in Ohio next to another church called South Gate, so Robert needed to document it!

It was so great to see everyone!  Sarah loved seeing her family and didn't want to leave.  Such a special time!

We spent some of our time at my grandparents' house and got to go to a bouncy house and the park and had lots of yummy food!

Then we spent a couple of days in Philadelphia, or as Sarah calls it, Phillyadelphia.  She was so excited to swim in the pool!  We were there for 48 hours, and she swam three times. 

I think we did all that can be done in 48 hours.  We had tickets for a Hop on Hop off bus, and it took us everywhere we wanted to go.  We got to see plenty of things from it like Betsy Ross' house and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  We got off there so Robert and Dad could run up the stairs from Rocky!  We ate a few meals at Reading Terminal Market which was right next to our hotel.  We got to see the Liberty Bell and toured Independence Hall.

We all had a blast at Please Touch Museum.  The carousel was Sarah's favorite part!

The Franklin Institute was probably my favorite!  Sarah got to walk through a huge heart exhibit and crawl through a brain exhibit!

It wore out Sarah!

Such a great trip, and we're thankful we got to go!