Thanksgiving 2016

I I realize I'm several weeks late, but I've got to get this down before Christmas! We celebrated Thanksgiving twice this year, so that we could squeeze in both side of the family with ample time for each. We started with a pre-Thanksgiving feast at my in-laws' a couple weekends before Thanksgiving, and the baby experienced his first Thanksgiving dinner! Being the ravenous eater he is, he seemed to love it, and shoved food into his face as quickly as possible. We got some really cute "cousins" pictures of him and my niece, which I know we will treasure when they are older.

For that meal, C and I were in charge of pies. We went with one traditional apple and one chocolate pie. To go above and beyond, we made a homemade chocolate pudding pie following a recipe C found online, and it was insanely good - SO rich and chocolaty. Definitely could have used an espresso with that one!

For the actual Thanksgiving holiday, we traveled down to the lake house. We spent Wednesday - Saturday with my family, and had a wonderful time. The lake in the fall is one of my absolute favorite places, so I was really happy to have an extended weekend to spend there! We had a traditional meal on Thursday and everyone pitched in to get it cooked, so everything felt very stress-free and simple. Wednesday night was pie night, and on Thursday morning we watched the parade and ate pie for breakfast. I love that tradition, and I'm happy to be passing these things along to the baby!

The day after Thanksgiving, we did absolutely no shopping (I refuse), but did drive to Roanoke to check out Parkway Brewing. It was a really cool set-up and a beautiful day, and the beers were good, too! Can't beat that.

We opted to drive home on Saturday and do takeout for dinner, and then had Sunday to start getting out our Christmas decorations without feeling rushed. It was a lovely way to wrap up the holiday weekend and continue the relaxing. Returning to work on Monday was still rough - can't I just live in the mountains and be a lake lady?? Ha.

Halloween 2016

Now seems like a good time to join the masses and say, I can't believe Halloween is over, and it's already November! We are deep into my favorite time of year, and while I didn't think it was possible to love fall more, I have found that I do now that there is a baby to share it with. Everything is more fun with kids!

I'll be honest: I wasn't going to get the baby a Halloween costume. Like, at all. He goes to bed at about 6:30 every night, so it's not like he was going to be out and about on Halloween. But at the insistence of my coworkers who showed me pictures of their babies' first Halloweens (some of them many years ago!), I found myself at Target shelling out $20 for a lamb costume (it was that or a terrifying-looking bluebird - the only ones in his size the day I was there!). And truly, I'm SO GLAD that I did, because he was SO CUTE and it was well-worth the $20. Plus, we dressed him in the costume several times and will likely use the same costume again on kid #2 whenever that is so.... whatever. It's fine.

We kicked off Halloween weekend with a trip to another pumpkin patch with my sister-in-law and my niece, and let the babies run around and touch pumpkins until they were sufficiently worn out. C2 didn't care about the pumpkins very much but he did think the dried, hollow gourd was really cool. Whatever floats your boat, my love.

On Halloween night, we fed the baby a quick dinner, then wrangled him into his costume and popped him in his wagon for a pre-bedtime trip around the neighborhood. He was fascinated with the neon plastic pumpkin and the pack of Sour Patch Kids that we let him hold. It was crinkly and amazing and why do I buy toys?! But anyways...

He was the cutest sheep I've ever seen. Truly. Have you ever seen anything better?! Even though we were about an hour too early for trick-or-treating, a couple of neighbors were outside and ready, and they got a kick out of letting the baby "pick" candy. (Mama picked Reese's at every house... not mad about it!) Then we sat on the porch for a few and said hello to the first little kids out making the rounds before heading upstairs for bedtime. Per usual, C2 was tuckered out and promptly passed out, not to be heard from again until the next morning. We handed out candy for a while until our bucket was JUUUUST about empty, and then we headed inside and turned off the porch lights. We had easily over 100 trick-or-treaters again this year - I love that our neighborhood has such a good turnout and has so much fun! 

I'm super glad that I didn't "skip" this holiday because the baby is too young to remember it - we got some great pictures, and C and I definitely made some good memories that we will share with C2 years from now. It was so fun to watch him smile and laugh and try to figure out what the heck was going on. I am giddy with holiday excitement at this point, and can't wait for Thanksgiving and then Christmas! (Though I don't want to talk about the fact that will mean baby boy's first birthday will be right around the corner..... wahhhh). I may or may not have ordered matching Christmas jammies for the whole family yesterday. I CAN'T WAIT.

Thanksgiving 2015

Hello out there! Everyone coming out of their turkey comas and ready to tackle Monday? No? OK, cool. I'd appreciate another day or two of laziness, personally... c'est la vie.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend, and I hope you did, too! A few months ago, when we were trying to nail down T-day plans, I decided that I was not going to travel anywhere (regardless of the fact that family is just an hour away), was going to have dinner at my house, and that anyone who wanted to join us, could. Luckily, our families were totally fine with that "mandate," and everyone came on down to our house! Just the way I like it.

I worked from home on Wednesday, and made a batch of buffalo chicken in the crockpot for easy tacos while we watched the Caps game. My parents arrived just in time for dinner, and after eating, my mom and I settled in for pie night. We made just three pies (some years, we are making 6 or 8!), but they turned out beautifully. C prepped a few of our side dishes that could be done in advance, and we called it a day.

Thursday was absolutely beautiful - sunny, warm, happy. In addition to Thanksgiving, it was my parents' 35th wedding anniversary! We celebrated with crockpot breakfast casserole and mimosas (I am SO CLOSE to getting to join the fun again) while watching the parade. C got the turkey into the oven 20 minutes ahead of "schedule" and we were well on our way to a successful day. C's parents and sister and brother-in-law (K&B) joined us (with our niece - she is getting so big!) mid-morning, and we finished watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while doing a little cooking here and there. We truly kept the menu low-key, and the prep work C did Wednesday night made it even easier.

After the parade was over, my mom and I headed out for a long pre-turkey walk, along with K&B and their dog. We went over to the battlefield trail that I love, and ended up doing a (very, very slow) almost 5 miles! That was more than enough for this huffing-and-puffing pregnant lady. It felt good to move, but I definitely paid for it by way of back pain later in the day. Boo.

We got home, got cleaned up, and finished the last few sides before sitting down to a fantastic feast. I know I've already said it, but I really do love Thanksgiving! It makes me so happy to have a house full of people, with lots of chatter and food smells all day. It fills my little cup right up.

Dinner was followed by football watching and pie before C's family headed home, and we settled in with my parents to watch a movie.

The rest of the weekend was a mix of relaxing and busy - we spent Friday mostly doing nothing but getting the house back in order and watching Netflix, then on Saturday morning I went grocery shopping super early and got a pot of chili cooking in time for a 12 PM kickoff of the VT vs. UVA game. Stephanie was in town visiting family for the holiday, so her, her husband, and the baby came over to watch the game with us. Not only did we get to see a VT victory (12 years in a row!), but we got lots of baby play time, too. So fun!

Saturday night and Sunday morning, I prepped a huge batch of freezer meals for after the baby comes. I will go into more detail later, but needless to say, we will not starve once we are a family of three. Also, my freezer space is totally maxed out - and I have two freezers!

C put up the Christmas tree while I finished the meal prep, and we started getting out some of our holiday decorations. We are keeping it simple this year because otherwise I am afraid we will have decorations up until April! I make no guarantees about my ability to un-decorate the house once a newborn is involved. We do have a few things out, though, and I will add a few more items in the coming weeks. I adore this time of year and can't help but want to have the house reflect all the cheer! We will decorate the tree later this week - for now, we are just letting the cats get readjusted. They are settling in nicely... until the ornaments come out!

I braved the cold and rain to run a few errands I'd been putting off all weekend, and C made us turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwiches for dinner. They were a delicious, fresher use for leftovers that can seem very heavy, and they hit the spot. We are slowly making our way through the piles of leftovers we ended up with... A few more days and we will be good to go! I should have done a better job of sending the family home with food, but I did not, and the majority of it ended up in our fridge. Luckily, it's delicious, and it's a great way to extend the holiday just a little longer. Until the next one!

The Day Before

To tell you the truth, I love the day before Thanksgiving [and Christmas, for that matter] almost as much as I love the holiday itself.

The day before is full of so much promise. I love the excitement, the anticipation, the preparation and lists and scurrying around. On the day before the holiday, there is still the potential for everything to go right. No one has missed a flight yet, no one has burned the stuffing or over-cooked the turkey, no one has been stuck in traffic for hours and showed up for dinner grumpy. People are looking forward to seeing their families and friends, and even looking forward to the travel it takes to get wherever you are going - or the sound of the doorbell ringing when people arrive on your doorstep. There is still the happiness and [good, I think] stress of planning and organizing and celebrating. There's a bit of cheer in the air when you see people, when strangers give each other that knowing little smile and nod because we're all getting ready for the same thing, and even though the traditions are different and the menus don't quite match, we all have the same agenda: get together with people you like and love, enjoy a good meal, share memories, and count your blessings. For me, the day before holds its own magic.

Happy Thanksgiving, all - hope it is wonderful.

Easter Monday

Another Monday, another busy weekend in the books! My day is jam-packed with meetings and things to do, or else I probably would have stayed home and teleworked today. The parking lot at the train station was empty this morning - pretty sure a lot of my fellow commuters had the same idea I did, and actually followed through. Lucky them!

I can't complain much, though, because I took the day off on Friday. It was a much-needed mental health day! I wandered around Target for a while, took over an hour to grocery shop, had Chipotle for lunch, and got my hair cut and highlighted. It was just what the doctor ordered! A welcome day of respite in between lots of weekends of plans.

Speaking of weekend plans, we were out of town again this weekend. On Saturday morning, C and I packed up and headed down to Fayetteville for a fun event: a surprise 30th birthday party for my friend, Ashley! I hadn't seen Ashley in almost two years (oh my god, how time flies) so I was glad we were able to get down to North Carolina for this milestone. Her husband has been planning it for weeks, and it turned out great. Plus, her two adorable little boys were dressed in tuxes, and more than happy to just some moves on the dance floor. Not sure I've ever seen anything cuter!

PS - this was my first ever Rent the Runway experience! Verdict: I liked it, but didn't love it. Or maybe I just didn't love the dress, and that was my own fault. It was pretty, but I picked a cut that doesn't always flatter my body-type. As far as the service goes, my dress was promised to be delivered by Friday evening, and I had it in my hands Thursday afternoon. I ordered a back-up size for free, and I was really glad, because I was much more comfortable in the larger size due to the cut and the cloth. I do think I would try it again, for a special occasion! 

Sunday morning, C and I had breakfast at Cracker Barrel (hash brown casserole? Yes, please!) before heading home. We had big evening plans: making Easter dinner! We cooked our very first ham (not very complicated, as it turns out) and I made an amazing potato casserole (The Pioneer Woman does it again). We ate until we were stuffed to the gills. Delicious!

It was a beautiful day, and I loved seeing all the pictures on Facebook and Instagram of everyone's kiddos in their best spring clothes. So sweet! Is there anything better than babies in bonnets? Probably not. 

Valentine's decor - or lack thereof!

Happy Day-After-the-Super-Bowl Day! Why is heaven's name is that game still played on a Sunday night, and why don't we all get an automatic free pass from work on Monday morning? Especially since there was a brand new episode of The Blacklist on immediately after the game, and you know I had to stay up to watch it! Couldn't possibly just DVR it and save it for tonight... oh, no... blerg. I may or may not be regretting that decision. Probably not as much as the Seahawks' head coach is regretting his last play call decision, though! Dang. What a rough way to end the game.

Anyway. Football is behind us. Let's talk about Valentine's Day!!

I went to get out my V-Day decorations this weekend.... and promptly realized that I really don't have anything. Apart from a wreath I made a few years ago and one crystal heart-shaped bowl, it would appear that I am severely lacking in decor for this holiday. Shoot!

I scoured the web in search of some pretty, not-overly-cutesy Valentine's decorations, and found several things that I'd be happy to have in my house. I think I'll be keeping an eye out for some post-holiday sales this year and see if I can add a few things to have for next year. Where do you find good deals on V-Day decorations? And where are some good places to find things that are a little bit subtle, rather than screaming Valentine's Day? Help me out!

All items from Pier 1, Pottery Barn, Kohl's or Williams Sonoma. Links below!

sign / sign / wreath

pillow / plate / bowls

garland / letters / pillow

Twelve Day of Christmas Cookies: traditional

Welcome to our Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link up! For the next two weeks, join us every day and add your favorite cookie recipe for that day’s theme. Please follow Lisa and Lindsay and check out some new blogs! Happy baking!

My parents were both stationed in Germany with the Army for a few years before my sister and I were born, and we lived there until I was three years old. Subsequently, we have adopted several German Christmas traditions and customs that are very special parts of the holidays for us.

German gingerbread cookies, known as lebkuchen, are one of my favorite parts of the holidays. I've never actually made them, but I make sure to buy some from the Commissary whenever I get a chance to go around the holidays with my mama. There are lots of brands and types, but in my head, the best ones are a very specific kind that come in a pretty blue bag, from a company called Bahlsen. Seeing those will always mean Christmas to me!

If you want to try to make your own lebkuchen, try one of these recipes:

• Martha Stewart
• All Recipes
• Food & Wine

What is your favorite traditional or ethnic cookie around the holidays??

Just around the river bend... local adventures!

My original plan for Veteran's Day was to do laundry, clean the house, and maybe go see a movie. However, my mother texted me a few days before, and told me that we need to do something "fun" with our day off, and to save the chores for the weekend. Don't have to tell me twice - I was in! The question was, what should we do with our day?

It was slated to be gorgeous weather, and the cold was supposed to come rolling in the day after (and it did - full on arctic blast! yuck) so we wanted to do something outdoors. A little brainstorming led me to a local treasure: Ferry Farm, George Washington's Boyhood Home.

Ferry Farm is approximately five minutes from my house, just on the other side of the river from historic downtown Fredericksburg. It's the site where the home that George Washington grew up in was located - the house is no longer there, but archaeologists have located the foundation, and there are plans in the works to rebuild the home.

Having lived in this area for over 20 years, as the daughter of a teacher who always used days off for educational purposes, I've been to a lot of historic sites around here. We'd never visited Ferry Farm, though - so it was new for the whole family. My mom packed a scrumptious picnic for us, which we enjoyed at a picnic table under the trees, and my dad greeted me with my first Starbucks Red Cup of the season. What more could a girl need? (Hint: to not be dressed like it's fall when it turns out to be 75*! I was sweating. Beautiful.)

Included in the price of admission at Ferry Farm is a self-guided iPad tour - they hand you an iPad loaded with an app designed for the site, and you follow the path all around the property looking for numbered flags. When you find a flag, you touch the corresponding number on the screen, and each one has videos, pictures, and facts about the area where you're standing. It was a pretty neat way to take a tour, and nice that we could take as long or as little at each spot.

We spent a little over an hour walking around and learning about George Washington's childhood... and when we'd had enough, we headed back across the river for a round of drinks and appetizers at one of our favorite local restaurants. It was a great way to spend a day off, and enjoy some quality time with two of my favorite vets (thanks, Mom & Dad!).

C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me...

I know it's not quite Thanksgiving yet, but my mama and I are already planning our Christmas-cooking-baking extravaganza day. With the short turn-around time between T-giving and Xmas this year, we pretty much have to roll straight from turkey to cookies. Last year we might have gone a smidge overboard with an eagerness to try too many different types of cookies (I think we used 8 different recipes??), so we are limiting ourselves to larger batches of a few types this year to make it a little easier.

We will definitely make our usual sugar cookies (the same recipe my mom has been using for over 30 years!), but there are a few other types that I'm thinking of that might just have to make their way onto the list. I want to make them all!

The recipes below are a mix of "lots of effort," "little effort," and "no bake" cookies, which will hopefully enable us to do lots of things at once. There is a lot of coordination and planning required for a major baking day! It's an art form, my friends. An art form.

Chocolate and Pistachio Dipped Cranberry Shortbreads

Mini Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Vanilla Rum Balls

Soft Molasses Cookies

Fudge Crinkles

Do you have a "must-make" holiday cookie recipe? A family recipe that just has to be included every year? Something new you want to try this year? Share it with me, please. I love collecting cookie recipes for my arsenal!

Dijon Antipasto Pasta Salad

Our 4th of July weekend was perfect. Truly, it was! It was comprised of all my favorite things: friends, pool time, food, family, America, not working, Bloody Marys... shall I go on? It was such an epic weekend that it was the type that I probably needed another full weekend to recover - but, sadly, it was back to work for us yesterday. Womp, womp.

Nevertheless, I am still riding high on the fun and excitement that is had when our big group of college friends gets together and acts like we're 21 again. Sadly to say, our livers can't quite keep up the way they used to... but dangit if we don't try at least once a year! The fun started Thursday night when friends started arriving at our house, and didn't stop 'til Sunday afternoon when the last person walked out the door. We spent the actual 4th at my in-laws', playing cornhole and pool basketball and eating until we were all about to explode. There were some fireworks and some drinking games, and a fantastic time was had by all. So much so, in fact, that I only took two pictures the entire day!

Sure signs of an awesome holiday. A big plate full of my favorites, and an intense game of cornhole. Right?

Seeing as how I'm trying to keep the holiday spirit going, I thought I'd share a recipe that I've been meaning to post for ages. My mother-in-law makes the most delicious pasta salad for most family get-togethers, and I always look forward to eating it when we have a party!

I got her to share the recipe with me, and I whipped up a huge batch for the feast on Friday. It is really easy to make - mostly just chopping up ingredients and then mixing them together with the dressing. It is not a creamy pasta salad (which is something I generally don't enjoy), but instead features fresh veggies, salami, and sharp cheddar cheese, tossed together with a homemade Dijon vinaigrette. It is also, in my opinion, a proper proportion of pasta-to-everything-else: it's lots of other ingredients with a little pasta mixed in, so almost every bite features all the good stuff! This pasta salad is always a hit with the crowd, and I hope you'll enjoy it just as much as our family does!

Dijon Antipasto Pasta Salad
family recipe


Ingredients

Salad

• 8 oz uncooked rotini
• 2 cups broccoli, cut into very small pieces
• 4 oz cheddar cheese cubed (1 cup)
• 5 oz salami cut into strips (1 cup)
• 1⁄2 cup drained pepperoncini peppers, cut into small pieces
• 1⁄2 cup ripe olives 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 to 2 tsp sugar
• 1⁄2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1⁄4 tsp salt

Directions

Cook rotini to desired doneness as directed on package, adding broccoli during last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. In large bowl, combine cooked pasta, broccoli, and all remaining ingredients. In small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients; blend well. Add to salad; toss to coat. Refrigerate before serving - best if made the night before and served cold.

Someone get me a margarita

I wish I had something insightful to share with you all today, but I really don't. We had a busy weekend, which was good, as it kept my mind of the state of things, but once the quiet settled around me yesterday evening, it became that much harder to ignore reality. I am quite run-down emotionally. My heart is aching for my family, especially my mom and her brothers, as my grandma's health is continuing to decline. If you are the praying type, or the "thinking positive thoughts" type, please keep us in mind. We could use all the help we can get right about now.

If there is anything in the world that my grandma loves, it's Mexican food. I have many fond memories of going out to eat with her at her favorite little Mexican joints. In fact, my mom has actually had Mexican food delivered to my grandma for her birthday dinner! It's no wonder that I could eat tacos and burritos all day, every day - it's genetic! (At least that's what I'm telling myself).

In case you're tucked under a rock somewhere, today is Cinco de Mayo - as if I needed a reason to eat Mexican food! Ha. In the spirit of the day & to celebrate the love for spicy foods that my grandma & I share, I thought I'd remind you of a couple of my favorite recipes. Enjoy!

Easy Weeknight Guacamole

 

Spinach, Black Bean, & Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I think C & I are making taco salads of some sort for dinner... it's going to be a "create it as we go" kind of thing. If you're celebrating tonight, drink a margarita for me!

What's your favorite Mexican (or semi-Mexican) recipe? I'm always looking for new ones to add to my arsenal. Share the wealth!

hearts, hockey, and Cady Heron

Someone please tell me that it's not just me who's feeling a little disjointed today? Between two snow days last week and a long weekend (yay President's Day!), it's no wonder that I'm a bit out of sorts. Five days out of the office was a delightful little mini vacation! We should always get a week away in February. Can that please be a thing?!

We had plans to head to the lake on Friday afternoon, but the snowstorm had other ideas for us. We ended up staying home Friday, cooking a little dinner and hanging out with my sister and her husband. Not our original plan for V Day, but still fun! C surprised me with flowers that he bought when I wasn't looking, and we traded cards - we have a tradition of buying two each for everything, a funny one and a serious one - so we've got Valentines galore at our house.

typical.

We woke up early Saturday morning to watch the USA Men's hockey game vs. Russia - who else watched?? If you didn't, you missed out on some serious excitement. What a game! My sister made us a round of Bloody Marys for good luck in the third period... it must have worked!!

We left for the lake later than planned since the game went on and on, but still made good time and met my parents at the house by early afternoon. With Monday being a holiday, we still had plenty of time to relax!

The rest of the weekend looked a lot like this:

Sitting by the fire, watching movies, cooking a couple delicious meals, getting sucked into several episodes of West Wing, and playing a million rounds of dominoes. My mama and I even got out for a long walk on Sunday afternoon - it was fantastic to get some fresh air! It wasn't too cold, but everything was still blanketed in snow, so we got to see some beautiful lake scenery while we walked. Though cut a bit short, it was just the weekend we were looking for!

We got home yesterday afternoon just in time for me to throw myself together and head out for a fun Monday night event: girls' night! Some of the girls I've been going to book club with had the great idea to make the most of the government holiday and plan an Italian-themed potluck evening, and were sweet enough to invite me to come hang out! I straightened my hair and put together some "Chicken Parmesan Chicken Nuggets" in a matter of minutes and then I was out the door.

BTW - I totally pulled a Sandra Lee with my contribution to dinner, but I really thought it worked - I baked some chicken nuggets, then topped each with a spoonful of marinara and a little bit of provolone cheese and stuck them back under the broiler for a few. Ta da... mini chick parms! It wasn't my finest cooking moment, but it was delicious... I'll definitely keep that "recipe" in my back pocket for a quick snack or potluck dinner!

We spent several hours chatting, eating, painting our nails, and watching Mean Girls... because why the heck not?! It was so much fun, and I enjoyed getting a chance to see some friendly faces. It was a great way to wrap up the long weekend!

Essie "Chincilla" plus a little sparkle

So tell me....

• Did you get a long weekend? How did you spend your day off?
• Do you have a go-to recipe for potlucks? Something easy to make, transport, and share? Help me out!
• What's your favorite brand of nail polish? I like the colors that Essie has, but I don't actually think it's very good quality... (I just heard several people gasp in horror. Sorry not sorry!)