We've Moved

In order to bring you more details on family happenings we've had to limit our readership. If you'd like to follow us visit www.toliveinthanksgivingdaily.blogspot.com and request an invite.

Thanks so much.

H

We

Birthday Cakes & Traditions

My grandma was a caterer and I remember her making elaborate wedding cakes. My mom made awesome birthday cakes. I remember one where she made that doll princess cake one year. You know, the one where the cake is the dress of the princess. She also used the same cake mold to make an ice cream mountain for the same party. It was awesome! Anyway, I remember growing up and wanting to decorate cakes and use all the awesome cake tips and learn how to do it. I've since learned that it's a lot of work and since it's not my profession I don't have time to do it on a regular basis. But when it comes to my kids birthdays...I indulge. So, this is one of my fun mommy traditions--decorating beautiful cakes. It's fun for me! This year M specifically asked for a Christmas tree cake. Just so happens that I inherited a Christmas tree cake mold from either my mom or grandma. So it was, shall we say, "a piece of cake". It was fun to figure out how to make the texture of the trees needles. I ended up using the "hair" tip and swooping it in layers. It's looked awesome! I tried to make brown icing for the bark and kicked myself for not talking to "Kathy Cake" (a friend of mine) about borrowing her gel color dyes (she has brown...I used it for F's puppy cake). So after tossing some different colors in the trash I remembered the leftover cake from leveling the cake and packed that onto the base coat of frosting. Perfect! I decorated the cake the night before the party. All day M waited to see it. We've started a new tradition: You have to wait and be surprised to see your cake when we put the candles on. M's response was worth it all -- just a plain, awestruck, simple, "Wow!" while she tried to take it all in. M started a tradition of her own. She loves to lick the candles off. She pulls each one out and sucks off the icing. (I don't keep candles...not when you can get a box of 200 for $1!) Anyway, one of her friends tried to take one and I didn't have the heart to make her share. This is one of her favorite birthday things. So I explained it to the friend but then M did share of her own accord. That's my girl.

I love birthdays!

Birthdays -- celebrating the day you arrived on earth and got your turn to live the life you anticipated for eternities.
Make this the best year so far!

Happy Birthday!

This birthday girl was so excited for her birthday. I don't know anyone who gets more excited. The night before her party we laid out her clothes. Around 7AM I hear an I-need-your-help kind of "Mommy" coming from her room. I struggle out of bed and out the bedroom door to find the birthday girl dressed from head to toe and struggling to buckle her shoes. She even had a headband (she rarely uses hair things), necklace, AND tights on! I just wanted to hug her to pieces. She was so excited and doing her part to get ready for her party (that wasn't until lunchtime). Needless to say she helped us get ready and loved going to pick up the balloons for her party. She was a great hostess and the party came off without a hitch. (Thank you Nina!)

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y M!

Whole Chickens

I'm sure my grandmas would consider this a no-brainer but I just figured out how wonderful and cheap a whole chicken is. For less than $3 (if you find it on sale) you can buy enough meat for two, if not three meals, AND it's super easy! Day 1 - Crock pot chicken with roasted vegetables. m-m-m. Don't even wash the crock pot. Right after dinner, take out the stock and put it in the refrigerator. Then strip the bones of meat and put the bones back in the crock pot with whatever veggies you have on hand. (celery, carrot, onions, and a few herbs and salt). Then fill it to the top with water and let it cook on low until you get a chance to take care of it the next morning (so it cooks for 10-12 hours). Then take the stock out and cool. Whenever you're ready now you take the stock from the original cooking (skimming off the fat) and combine with the stock you made with the bones (skimming off the fat) and you have the base for an amazing chicken noodle soup! It's so wonderful and one of my new favorite meals. (Plus it gives me an excuse to pull out the pasta attachment for my Kitchenaid!)

Too Cute

Getting ready for prayer.

Vegging

On the way home we stayed at a hotel overnight. I caught M vegging out while eating popcorn. She had that "I'm the only one in the world" glazed look going on. Isn't this hilarious?

Sledding Fun

We got some new snow while at Grandma & Grandpa's so we decided to go sledding. Evidently the snow wasn't in the whole region as we noticed the snow disappearing while we drove to our original destination. Halfway there we realized there'd be no snow when we got there so we turned around. Grandma called the chamber of commerce and they pointed us to this awesome hill that landed on a frozen lake. F was terrified! He went down once with Daddy and was afraid for every other rider who'd go down. Mommy went once and went over the bank, caught air, and landed on the frozen lake right on her lower back (sending a shock up her spine). Daddy went down a few times but eventually also caught his tailbone on something and decided he'd had enough. M loved it and kept hauling her sled up the steep hill until her "knees were tired". (This is the body part that always starts hurting when she's done with something.) Overall, super fun!

Noisy Toothbrush

So the one thing M asked Santa for (besides gum & candy) was a "noisy toothbrush". Santa came through with a Cinderella electric toothbrush for M and a Thomas the Train electric toothbrush for F. We already had toddler toothpaste with Thomas the Train so F already called brushing his teeth "choo choo". NOW it's an emphatic "choo choo!" whenever he deems it teeth brushing time. Sometimes it's a battle to get him to put it away but we find if we tell him we're going to count to 5 and then we have to put it away that helps (8 out of 10 times...)

Waterpark

While visiting Grandma & Grandpa we went to a waterpark at a nearby hotel. M was super excited. As soon as we walked in I remembered F's summer fear of the water. It didn't help this time that a huge bucket of water dumped on the entire complex every 5 minutes or so. He did finally come to terms with the water, as long as he got to be in the hot tub.

Baptism Excitement

M loves baptisms. So she was thrilled that her cousin got baptized while we were in Michigan. Probably one of the only baptisms I've been to where spontaneous applause errupted, especially after the cutest 8 year-old boy sang "A Young Man Prepared" with exuberence after he was baptized as the special musical number.

Christmas Traditions

Last night I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" as I wrapped Christmas presents. It's been years since I saw it last and I'm sure glad I watched it. I think I can identify with George a lot more now and I'm grateful for Clarence and Mary. Life really is wonderful!

December Wedding

Last weekend Daddy was a groomsman for one of his best friends. It was a beautiful wedding. We all had a wonderful time. I wanted to share the sweetest groom's gift I've ever seen. The groom likes to work with wood (he hand crafted every piece of cabinetry in his kitchen). So as a gift he made a pen and pencil set for each of his groomsmen. The "sweetness" factor comes from this. The pen is made with pecan wood from a tree at the bride's parents' house and the pencil is made applee wood from a tree from the groom's parents' house. They're beautiful. Will try to remember to post a picture but wanted to record the thought.

I love my husband!

I love that he makes me laugh.
I got this Christmas wish list today from him.
One of these things is not like the other.

http://www.amazon.com/Landmann-1527-Hearthmates-Hearth-Gloves/dp/B0000UJH2W/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1291692901&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Custom-LeatherCraft-C390-Canvas-Carrier/dp/B0001ZI53S/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1291520880&sr=1-4

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=53202966&listingRecNum=0&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20014%26stkTyp%3DU%26rd%3D100%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId%26zc%3D20732%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-0-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26alMkId%3D20014%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=national

P.S. We recently got a woodstove.

Feeling Domestic

While the scene above is not one that makes me feel domestic, my recent accomplishments do. I made apple butter that will probably be canned tomorrow! (We got a bushel of apples for $10!) I sewed buttonholes and finished a project I've been wanting to do for a long time. AND I sewed a zipper in a skirt that will be finished as soon as I sew the hem! So there can be a sense of accomplishment in all that happened today. Go me!