Thanksgiving

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year. I've gotta tell you, I was a little stressed because we had just returned home from Pismo the night before. Fortunately my planning ahead payed off and everything went off without a hitch. I was encouraged to do the turkey in a brown in bag, but I was determined to do it the way you always see it done in movies. So I found a recipe for a glazed turkey (honey, corn syrup, rubbed sage, basil, rosemary...) and went to work. I enjoyed pulling it out of the oven and basting it throughout it's cooking time, it felt very traditional. It turned out lovely. The glaze took on a dark molasses color, but the turkey never burned. It also didn't dry out. A success I would say. The hardest part was timing all the other dishes. We had a vegetable medley, stuffing, cornbread biscuits, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, sweet potatoes (thanks Patrice), apple peanut butter crumb pie, pumpkin pie (thanks mom), orange jello salad (again..Patrice) and Martinelli's cider.

The proud cook.




Brett's first time carving the turkey, great job honey!



We turned our living room into a dining room. Our dining table is so massive with all the leaves in, it needs lots of space. I like the change, we'll keep it like this for a while.



The buffet, what a spread. There were 8 people to feed and I wanted to make sure we had enough food. Thanks mom and Patrice for all your help and for cleaning up. I couldn't have done it without your support!



I have a lot to be grateful for this year. I have a wonderful family and lots of friends who inspire and motivate me. I've picked up new talents and have enjoyed learning new things. I have a wonderful, smart, handsome, fun husband and a perfect, cute, happy little boy. I get to be a stay at home mom and take care of the household. I am a member of a wonderful church that challenges and pushes me to be a contributing member of society and help those in need. I have so much to look forward to this upcoming year and I am very excited to see what awaits me around the corner.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Pismo

On our way to Pismo, we stopped to get gas and on the pump next to us was a Cal Fire Fire Engine. We got to talk to the firefighters for a while, they were going home to Mendocino after fighting the fires down south. I showed Bryson a real Fire Truck up close and he even got to sit in the cab. He got a sticker and everything. It was very fun and overwhelming for a 16 month old.




Pismo was fun. We had good weather the first few days. We didn't go riding as much as we have in the past, but we thoroughly enjoyed relaxing and sitting around. Bryson played great in the sand and always wanted to be in the Rhino.

We had a mini Christmas tree in the camp, very cute. Thanks Jeff!



Grandma Patrice, Tiffany and Lexi taking all the kids down to the beach to look for shells. What a car full!



A Pismo sunset. Our family was able to get some great Christmas Card photos in front of this sunset.



Like father like son.



The ocean is so fun.

New Awning

Our new awning is finally done. I love the pillars.



I think I'll take off the lamp, but I love the tropical leaf fan blades.
Now we need to find a patio set.



Bryson, telling us what he wants for Christmas out of the Toys R Us catalogue.




...and this is it, a mini, kid size version of Grandpa's RZR. Smart kid!

Weekend Update

Just to catch you up on what I've been doing to keep busy.

Friday was play day at the park. This time it was at the CSD park. It was great! The ground is made of this soft rubber. Everything is gated in so little ones can't run away. Also, there are two areas to play, one for older kids and one for younger. Lot's of kids were there. Bryson does something new every time we go out. This time he slid down a really big slide on his bum, not his belly. He had watched all the other kids do it, so he wanted to try.

Bryson liked laying on the cool rubber ground.



Playing tag with Hannah, she's winning.




Thanks for taking me to the park mom!



I recently have fallen in love with all things vintage. I blame this on my mothers taste being ingrained in me, planted like a seed, and choosing now to sprout forth. Anytime I see fabric, or art, or tins with vintage art on them I want them. Here are a few of my recent purchases.

Little laundry room hangers.



Of course I had to get this, does it not look like Bryson? Not to mention, me, when I was little and cute. It's perfect in his nursery. It reminds me of the picture I had over my bed with a little Victorian girl holding a cat in one hand and a cute dangly purse in the other. Mom, do you still have that?



I'm still making baby yoga pants, there just so easy. Only now I've been having fun with freezer paper stencils. I love the Winnie the Pooh one. If anyone would like one I'd love to make one for you. So far I've only been making ones that fit 12-18 month. Any requests?





I had gathered about 150 sand dollars on one of our trips to Pismo. Can you believe it? All of us went home with a ton of shells. So I had displayed a few in some shadow boxes and I finally put the finishing touches on them. Thanks to my friends Joy and Mimi at Chatterbox designs they made the vinyl lettering for me. It really finishes it off and gives it a distinct look. I've ordered a laundry room sign from them that I can't wait to see.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

My sister in law Lexi turned me on to this. She makes a bag and we enjoy it on our sand trips. So yummy and creamy!

3 cups instant dry milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cinnamon (optional)

Mix together all ingredients and store in a container with a tight fitting lid (I used a large Ziploc bag).
To make a cup of hot chocolate, add 1/3 cup of mixture to 8oz. boiling water and stir well.
Makes about 15 steaming mugs of hot chocolate

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mom's birthday was yesterday, Nov. 10th. The day before our anniversary. What a wonderful mother I have. She is so supportive and loving. She is everything you could ever hope for in a mom.
Mom, you know how much you mean to me, thank you for all your wonderfulness! I love you, Happy 57th.

Happy Anniversay Brett!

Today is our 3 year anniversary. We can't believe it's been such a short time because we've already done so much. We were able to celebrate in Tahoe last night after our adventures at Sand Mountain. My mom and dad were kind enough to take Bryson for a sleep over at their hotel room while Brett and I went for our traditional Filet Mignon and Lobster dinner at Fridays Station. It's something we did on our honeymoon and we try to do it every year. The food is always so good, and it's a very fancy schmanzy restaurant. It's such a treat.


Here's Brett and I with our desert, compliments of the restaurant. Chocolate cup filled with chocolate mousse, whipped cream, rasberry sauce. Yummy!




This was the meal. I'm copying my friend Mimi as far as taking pictures of food, but when it's this good you have to savor the memory.



So now for the Sand Mountain pictures.

I'm the proud mommie of a redneck!




Family photo.



Everyone's "toys". We had a lot of people join us out there. I call them FWSI's (friends with similar interests).



Bryson's cousins (Cole and Dallas) came to our trailer to play with Bryson's toys.



Roasting marshmellows with daddy.



Taking Bryson out on a ride with the Rhino. It was a really cold day. Luckily it wasn't like that the whole time!





The mountain after it rains. You get more traction and can go up the hill easier. Everyone took advantage of that.



Bryson test driving a Sand Rail. Lookin' good kid!




Bryson and Grams playing in the RZR. Bryson's rearin' to go!



Mommies quad is a little too big for him.



This one fits him just right!



What a fun trip! Now the horrible, stressfull task of unpacking and cleaning up starts. I wouldn't be so upset about it if I knew I wouldn't have to do it for a while...but we leave for Pismo Beach in two weeks. Ughh!

2008 Election

It was an intense, passionate election. Regarding the outcomes, I was both jubilant (Prop 8) and unsure (Obama). While I didn't vote for Obama, I can only hope that the right choice was made and that he will prove us wrong.



As for Prop 8 passing...Yes!!!!
For me, it has nothing to do with civil rights (although I can understand that point). It has everything to do with morality. God's plan is for us to multiply and replenish the earth...which cannot happen if it's "Adam and Steve" instead of "Adam and Eve". I also believe it is every child's right to have a mother and a father. I am so glad all of our efforts paid off.