Grandad graciously invited us to join him this Sunday for his Yacht Club’s Annual Power Cruise and Brunch.  The plan was travel from the club to the National Harbor by boat, then have brunch at Pienza, an Italian restaurant located in atrium of the Gaylord National Hotel.  Well, the weather was not ideal for boating, and I didn’t think my crew would remain cooperative for the boat ride to and fro, so we opted to drive over by car.

In addition to hosting our family, Grandad also invited Aunt Melissa & Cousin Owen (Uncle Bear was racing cars), and friends Ryan & Karina and their little guy.

We’ve enjoyed a nice weekend with Grandma & Grandpa and I’ll get around to posting the pictures soon.  I just wanted to share a little funny anecdote before I forgot.   We went to the Grands straight from an Easter Eggstravaganza, so the kids arrived with bags full of candy they were constantly clamoring to eat.

One night, after dinner, the kids requested dessert.  And Grandma pulled out a heavenly chocolately cool-whippy concoction that was delicious.  But Sam said he didn’t want it, he wanted candy.  I told him that a homemade dessert is always better than something made in a factory and that it was rude to ask for candy instead of something the cook makes.

The next night, Grandma tells me that she didn’t make any dessert because Sam asked her not to.  I asked Sam why and he replied, “Because I want candy!”

Is that a kid a stinker thinker or what?

We had a super duper Christmas.  And now that 2010 is bearing down on us, I figured I better get these memories chronicled.  Prepare for an overload of photos.

This is what the week before Christmas was like …

Sunday: we made decorated a gingerbread house.

It turned out pretty good!  It was fun to see the artistic touches the kids provided.  Make note of the “Wendy door” – designed to look like her.  The view of Sam’ door comes with a side of “jazz hands.”

Monday: I hosted the 2nd annual  neighbohood cookie exchange party — we enjoyed many delicious confections.

Wednesday: The kids and I took a couple of platefuls of goodies to the Department of Environmental Services, to thank the snowplow drivers for their hard work.

Before we knew it, it was Christmas Eve.  We went to my brother’s for a yummy C’mas Eve meal, then to our church for the 5pm “kids service”.  I prefer a more sedate, traditional service, but they do a high energy program that keeps the kids engaged.   Mike was surprised to hear his name called in a “Sing the Lyrics” caroling contest and he wowed the crowd (see clip below).  The service concluded with the traditional “Silent Night”, sung in a not so traditional arrangement.  Instead of candles, glow sticks were distributed, which were another hit with the kids.

Short, clumsy clip of Mike’s singing debut:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Then it was home to bed, but not before I got one picture of the kids dolled up.  Don’t they look lovely?

It was a wonderful day to celebrate the birth of a Savior.  Thanks be to God for the goodness he has given us in our family.

*** Giveaway alert!  I’m giving away a beautiful necklace, courtesy of Tracey Jolley Designs – check it out!! ***

I’m behind again on my photog-o-blogging, but wanted to give thanks for a great weekend we had over Thanksgiving with my in-laws.

It started with a super easy getaway on Wednesday night.  Despite leaving during  prime rush hour time, we hit nary a snag.

Amidst the scramble to get packed and out the door, this trio decided to plop themselves down in a fit of cute and mug for the camera.

Once we got to Grandma & Grandpas, we enjoyed great weather, great food and great fun.   Mike & I started the day with a Crossfit workout (no pictures available, since I don’t like to document my misery).  Then, everyone did what he or she did best.

Some played:

Some tasted bubble juice on their thumb…

Some worked out AGAIN:

While others prepped:

And still others napped:

While waiting for the turkey to cook, Grandma & Aunt Lana got in a quick game of competitive horseshoes.  They consulted the directions to make sure the competition was legit.

Grandma’s got her eyes on the prize.

Si-Guy enjoyed the two wheeler Grandpa found for him.

Finally it was time to eat turkey.   (And ham).

I made these delicious pull-apart rolls which were as scrumptious as they looked.

We ate at my in-laws, but were joined by my mom’s sister, husband and cousin.  I am so thankful that our families are so well integrated and get along.  It is a tremendous blessing.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This half-pint couldn’t sit still through dinner, but found his seat and his daddy’s fork pretty quick when dessert was served.

After dinner, there was a little reading and a lot of being cute.

The next day, we celebrated Wendy’s birthday again.  She didn’t complain :)

I get to blow them out again?

It was a great time with family.   We are so thankful!

But I do LOVE her site and her creativity.  And her gift for making adorably scrumptious treats.   I was inspired by her gorgeous cake pops to make some for my daughter’s birthday party, as favors.   After all, wouldn’t you be proud to send home something so deliciously cute?

Alas, mine weren’t quite up the caliber of her treats.  Not surprising, since I am a rookie and she’s been doing these things for a while.  It was a bit of an exercise in frustration, at times.  But I do have to say, even tho my end result is vastly inferior to hers, I felt tremendous pride at my final outcome.

This post is linked up to the You Capture series at I Should Be Folding Laundry.  Hop on over to see more examples of “food”.

I’m a little late to the dance, but when I saw the theme for this week’s FMM, I knew I wanted to participate. The question is:

What’s your favorite recipe this time of year?

I’ve been enjoying the colder weather and the comfort cooking that comes with it. Soups and chilis are high on my list of foods to eat when the weather gets cold, so I’ll share two of my favorites:

Emerill Lagasse’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Rather than copy it here, I’ll just link to it on the Food Network.  I don’t really change anything in it.   It’s pretty good, even if I can’t get my kids to eat the mushrooms.

The other recipe I like is a chicken chili recipe I got from a gal in my Sunday School class years ago.  I’ve made it many times for our family and for others and it gets rave reviews.

Cathy B’s Chicken Chili

6 chicken breasts, boiled & chopped into 1″ cubes (I often use less, esp. if the breasts are large)
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14.5oz) chili-ready tomatoes (aka stewed)
1 can great northern beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 can chicken broth  (more or less, as you see fit)
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Saute onions and garlic in a little butter.  Add chicken and stir.  Mix rest of ingredients*.  Simmer covered 15 -20 minutes

*I prefer to save the cilantro for the very end.  If I’m making it for someone else I will keep the cilantro in a baggy so they can add it if they like and so it doesn’t get all yucky.

Serve w/cheddar, chopped green onions, etc.

Oh, I thought of another comfort food I love to make:

Pioneer Woman’s “Not Your Granny’s Mac ‘n Cheese“.

This recipe is sooooo good,  tho I have to cut the heat for my kids to tolerate it.

So those are my favorite recipes.  Wander over to Amber’s site and check out some more yummy ideas!

My youngest is fairly persnickety when it comes to eating certain foods.  I haven’t had a lot of success in the fruit department.

In fact, if I dare to place a strawberry, blueberry, or raspberry on his tray, he will throw it overboard faster than you can say, “Don’t do that, fruit does a body good!”

So, he is quite emphatic that fruit should not be part of his diet.

On the other hand, he says he is always up for a yummy drink.

Good thing you gave me the sweet delicious drink mommy.  I was getting tired of all that fruit you tried to serve me.

Mommy, my cup is empty.  Can I have some more?

Mommy, don’t make me wait.  I said MORE.

What’s that?  You say this delicious drink is called  a smoothie and has nothing but fruit and yogurt in it?  Ha Ha.  Very funny mom.  Everyone knows I don’t do fruit.

Better luck next time, mom.  You have to get up pretty early to pull a fast one on me.

A little ways back, we met up with friends at Great Country Farms for a little strawberry picking.  We love GCF. We participate in their CSA and love coming out to the farm for their “pick your own” fields, plus all the other great activities available.  To name just a few:  the jumping pillow, the rope swings, the water slough, the cow train, the tractors, the animals to pet, and more!   One of the great benefits of being a member of the CSA is, in addition to the weekly produce delivered to your door, you get free admittance to the farm.

Here are the pictures from our outing:

Check it out sometime:

Great Country Farms
http://www.greatcountryfarms.com
18780 Foggy Bottom Road
Bluemont, VA 20135
540.554.2073
farmer@greatcountryfarms.com

We just got some beef from a local farm.  Locally grown, pasture fed beef.  And by “some”, I mean a quarter of a steer, ~130 lbs of beef.  It will be on the menu a lot this fall!  We’ve got a lot of beef eating to do… I’ve some bulk pork coming in the winter and I’ve got to figure out where to store it!