What a fun night we had with Kendry at the Ogden Airport New Year’s Eve Gala. He, of course, was the hit of the evening. He danced with anybody that would come close….he danced by himself….he giggle, laughed, and had a ROYAL meltdown when Grandpa picked him up to leave!
New Year’s Eve means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but one thing that most everyone agrees on is that it should be joyful and fun. We hope you have had a hootin’ hollerin’ good time!
Gifts all unwrapped..
Kendry napping with his new friend!
Mommy home from the hospital and
look at the smile we got from K-Bear!
Hoping the new year brings lots of joy,
happiness, and blessings from above.
The sleigh was all packed,
The reindeer were fed,
But Santa still knelt
By the side of the bed.
"Dear Father," he prayed,
"Be with me tonight,
There's much work to do,
And my schedule is tight."
"I must jump in my sleigh
And streak through the sky,
Knowing full well
That a reindeer can't fly."
"I will visit each household,
Before the first light,
I'll cover the world,
And all in one night."
"With sleigh bells a-ringing,
I'll land on each roof,
Amid the soft clatter
Of each little hoof."
"To get in the house
Is the difficult part,
So I'll slide down the chimney
Of each child's heart."
"My sack will hold toys
To grant all their wishes,
The supply will be endless,
Like the loaves and the fishes."
"I will fill all the stockings
And not leave a track,
I'll eat every cookie
That is left for my snack."
"I can do all these things Lord,
Only through You,
I just need your blessing,
Then it's easy to do."
"All this is to honor
The birth of the One,
That was sent to redeem us ...
Your most Holy Son."
"So to all of my friends,
Least Your glory I rob,
Please Lord, remind them
Who gave me this job."
~ Warren D. Jennings ~
P.S. Yes Santa, hopefully K-Bear will be nestled all snug in his bed!
K-Bear got his new nickname from cousin Carly and we kinda’ fell in love with it just like Christmas!
As the days of 2011 come near an end, I know that my attitude towards what has happened to me in life is a very important thing I must recognize and accept.
At times I have felt hopeless, but every day because of K-Bear (Little Man) my life is now hope-full, but it did not happen overnight. I dared to dream! Because of that dream I have a bundle of joy that clings to me with the tightest of squeezes and the best hugs ever ~ I love cuddling with him every night as we fall asleep in each others arms.
2011 has not been the best of years. I’ve been very ill, K-bear was ill, I was sadly discouraged, hurt, angry, and bitter. My mom has been by my side through all of it and gave me a little (ok a lot of) advise just a few days ago that I will keep close to my heart and hopefully move forward with.
She said, “When you're hurt by somebody, they own you. Let it go. Keep moving forward and being positive. You can do everything you can to try to stop bad things from happening to you, but eventually things will happen, so the best prevention is a positive attitude….wear it and share it!”
So here is to Charlotte from her WEB..and K-Bear(Little Man) with the cutest dimpled chin ever!
Chin up, chin up
Everybody loves a happy face
Wear it, share it
It'll brighten up the darkest place
Twinkle, sparkle
Let a little sunshine in
You'll be on the right side
Looking at the bright side
Up with your chinny chin chin…
We made Grandpa and Grandma Great this bird seed wreath for Christmas
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons cold water
4 - 1/4 ounce packages Knox unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups water
8 cups birdseed
Method:
1. Empty the 4 packages of gelatin into 8 tablespoons of cold water in a large bowl. Let the gelatin sit for 1 minute.
2. Meanwhile, boil the 1 1/2 cups of water. Add the boiling water to the gelatin and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the gelatin has dissolved.
3. Stir 8 cups of birdseed into the gelatin, mixing thoroughly.
4. Let the mixture set for a few minutes, then stir again. Repeat this process a few times allowing the seed to absorb the liquid.
5. Spoon the mixture into a greased bundt pan and put in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours
6. Remove the wreath from the mold by inverting the pan and tapping along the bottom. The pan may need to warm to room temperature before the wreath will come out.
7. Allow the wreath to dry overnight or longer if necessary. Placing it on a cooling rack will help the air circulate. The wreath should be very solid when completely dry.
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8. Use several strands of raffia, twine or strong string to form a loop to hang the wreath.
9. Enjoy the visitors….
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Thanks to my good friends Nancy and Lisa today we are sharing their recipes that we absolutely can’t get enough of! A word of warning: Neither of these recipes contains anything healthy or low calorie. Which makes them perfect! I brought a batch of Rocky Road home Saturday afternoon from Lisa……it lasted less than 30 minutes!
Lisa and Viv's Rocky Road Popcorn
2 lb. Caramelized Popcorn
1 lb. Miniature Marshmallows
1 lb. Blanched and Roasted Almonds
3 lb. White Coating Chocolate
a little milk chocolate
a little dark chocolate
Pup popcorn, marchmallows, and almonds in large bowl. Melt white coating chocolate, let it cool a little. pour on the mixture (popcorn marshmellows almonds)
after it ia all mixed up good lay on cookies sheet, flaten it out so it isn't real big blobs
after dry melt and dribble milk chocolate over it and then do the dark chocolate.Turn it over and do the other side.
you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler. or in the microwave. careful not to burn it in the microwave. Never ever add water, it will ruin your chocolate,
Nancy’s
Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans and White Chocolate
12 cups popped popcorn
1 cup pecans-chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter-chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup Karo syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 oz almond bark or white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 250*. Line jelly roll pan with foil
Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. Combine brown sugar, butter, salt and cinnamon in a 4 cup capacitymicrowave safe bowl.Mix well. Pour Karo syrup over the top of this mixture. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir to combine.Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, microwave for 2 more minutes.
Remove from microwave. Add vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. (Mixture will foam and rise.) Pour caramel over popcorn/pecan mixture. Stir very well, until well coated.
Spread popcorn mixture onto foil lined jelly roll pan. Place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and spread on large piece of parchment paper or wax paper.
Melt almond bark according to instructions. Or melt white chocolate chips in microwave at 50% stirring every 30 seconds until melted. Drizzle almond bark/chocolate over caramel popcorn/pecan mixture. Cool. When almond bark/chocolate is hard, break into chunks and Enjoy!
Time to grab a mug of hot chocolate and stay warm….cause it’s just to cold to be anywhere but cuddled in a warm blanket with Little Man and a mug of Hot Chocolate!
Kendry’s first moral broke through this morning……now we have 9 teeth! It is the first molar on the lower right side. I found this nifty chart that tells us we are a few months behind schedule with the teeth WE KNEW THAT ALREADY!
As the countdown gets closer to the big day…I find myself saying, “Next year I’m not doing this! I’m going to start my shopping early so I can be done and not have to worry about it!”….that’s next year…..This morning very early we left Little Man sounds asleep with Grandpa, and did our version of “Black Friday” at Smith’s Market Place in Bountiful….7 AM is early for us, but Auntie Bri is an employee and gets a 20% discount today only! There were no crazy wild crowds, no fighting, pushing or shoving…we waltzed into the store got what we wanted and waltzed out all in an hours time.
When we arrived home, Little Man was still sound asleep, but Grandpa was frantic….looking for money he said he had lost from his pocket……We began the hunt and finally found, his comb, carmax, and his dead presidents all around the bedroom! Little Man apparently thought it was Easter and he was just doing his part to hide all the goodies!
Lucky for us today our dinner was cooking away all day in the crock-pot!
Pollo Fricassee………..yummo!
Recipe we use:
It is fall off the bone delicious! Next year…I am taking a page out of Santa’s book because he has his strategy in place to get everyone’s gifts ready by Christmas Eve. Not only that but he’s always smiling! If you feel like me, you’re almost bald, pulling you’re hair out when you look at the calendar and it’s the middle of December….. So Santa give me those secrets and please help me get organized for next year’s Christmas Shopping NOW!
One of our favorite family traditions is to drive through the many cities and see all the amazing light shows that are on display.
We bundled Kendry up to see if this year he would enjoy them as much as we hoped!!!
He wasn’t sure it was going to be all that fun, with nice warm jammies and a stocking hat from Grandma Great we were off…..
Willard Bay – 
Hogle Zoo -
Ogden City Christmas Village -
Layton Park
Spanish Fork - 
and it just isn’t lights without going to --Temple Square
and of course our very own neighborhood….
This home has been my favorite since I was a little girl…Simple and Elegant
These neighbors surely must work for the power company or at least own stock!
No we did not do this all in one night….travel time is extensive from the top of the state at Willard Bay to Spanish Fork (Grandma’s old stomping grounds)….we have enjoyed the many beautiful sights and sounds and yes we withstood the COLD!
We even have a few humble lights on our own little home as well….
