I Sure Do Like Those Christmas Cookies

We made cookies for Santa! Derek loved it!










Isaac was loving the frosting!

Picking out the right cookies for Santa!




Derek's favorite Christmas ornaments!

Gingerbread House

Great Grandma Ford made Derek this gingerbread house! He loved it, but I am not sure if Derek or Kurtis had more of the candy.

Utah Snow

We miss the snow living in ABQ but we did get a good storm when we were in Utah for Thanksgiving!

Yummy Food...

Isaac would love to just nurse. So I wait to start him on solid food until he was 7 months! He likes to feed himself and I think he is super cute! And yes his hair matches the carrots!

Napping

So while in Utah Derek decided that he no longer needed a nap... this coincided with us taking the Binky away but maybe that is just a coincidence. So Derek now goes to bed at 7 pm and sleeps until almost 8 am. I am not really complaining because I love having time just Kurtis and I at night but I am apologizing for my disheveled state. When Derek and Isaac would nap I would do things like, clean the house and make dinner, but more importantly I would paint my toes and pluck my eyebrows. So when you see me with bushy eyes and unpolished toes just know that I am sorry, grooming has had to take a backseat to active 2yr old!!

Stop and Breath

I am not a patient person! This is one reason pregnancy is such a trial for me. But seriously I think that I am learning patients this year and it has not been that easy! I just tell myself stop and breath. We are trying to sell our home in Utah without much success and so while we wait we are living in an apartment! Lets just say once you have owned your own home, going back to an apartment is a real disappointment!! Especially with two children. Last night at 7pm I hear a knock at the door and who is it? The neighbor from below us! She was upset because she could hear Derek running back and forth in the living room. I am not a big confrontational person (if I were I would have told her that I can hear her music at 2am but I didn't) so I told her I was sorry and would try and get him to be quite!! She also said that she can hear us when we get up in the morning and that it is too early and we need to be quite. My kids go to bed at 7pm and get up at 6:30 to 7am. I think that is reasonable. So today I have been trying to get Derek not to run. And it is impossible!! So I guess the people below us will just have to hate us!! Two year old's and apartments don't mix!! Anyways sorry for being a baby but I really miss having a home... I pray the house will sell so we can move! BTW one thing I hate about ABQ EVERYONE SMOKES!! Another reason I want to be in a home, so I don't have to smell it!!

RS Party

So I made this for the RS party for our ward last week and it was very easy and really good! I think we might do this instead of pumpkin pie this year!!

Great Pumpkin Dessert

15 oz solid-pack pumpkin

12 oz evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

18 1/4 oz yellow cake mix

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 spray can whipped cream

In a mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and drizzle with butter. Top with walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream.

Yummy...

Whole wheat bread:

5 c. hot water

2/3 c. oil

2/3 c. honey

3 (heaping) T. yeast

2 T. salt

mix all these and wait one minute

5 c. wheat flour

dough enhancer (about a T.)

mix these in well and then add the other flour

9-10 c. wheat flour - add until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl

Knead (autoknead is about five minutes on a K-tec)

Wait about 10 minutes after you've kneaded it

Mold into loaves (it usually makes 5-6 regular sized loaves) - let stand for 30 minutes

Bake for approximately 20 minutes @ 350.

Carrot Soup (serves about 8)

1 chopped onion (should be about 3/4 c.)

1 T. butter

2 (heaping) c. sliced carrots

1/2 t. thyme

I clove crushed garlic

6 c. chicken broth

2 (heaping) c. cubed peeled potatoes

1 small bay leaf

2 T. buttermilk

pesto

Instructions:

Saute onions carrots, thyme, and garlic in butter for 10 minutes

Add chicken broth, potatoes and bay leaf

Boil for 20 minutes

Take bay leaf out

Blend in blender

Return to pan and stir in buttermilk (I forgot to do this in ours today -sorry)

Pepper to taste

Serve with spoonful of pesto

Fall