Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Christmas 2009

Christmas '09 flew by! For the Elliott-Ott family it also looked a little different this year. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day without extended family. It was so fun for us to wake up in our own home and have our kids find their gifts!

Christmas Eve was new as well because this is the first year Jeremy worked in his new position at Prairie Lakes Church. It was a little sad because we didn't really spend much time together, but I baked with the kids and got everything ready for Christmas Day. Jeremy worked at the T.V. station at 3 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. then headed over to the church for the four Christmas Eve services. The kids and I went to the 5:30 service and Jeremy was able to come home for supper between the 5:30 and 11:00 service. At the end of the night Jeremy had been working for 22 hours straight. CRAZY. What's even crazier it that this is not the first time he has done this.

As you would expect, Christmas Day Jeremy drifted in and out of consciousness. The kids had a blast, and I cooked and baked and snuggled the kids. Really we had a great Christmas. Here are some pictures to prove it!

Sayla got a new robe from Santa! Doesn't she look so old in her bath attire?

We got a chance to head outside during a brief window when Jeremy awoke. I thought for sure the fresh air would wake him up....it didn't.









My Little Drummer Boy!












LOTS OF DOLLS!!!















I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and we wish everyone a wonderful 2010!




Read more...

Monday, December 28, 2009

What To Do With Leftover Eggnog!

Make these cupcakes of course. I was browsing cupcake recipes the other day, and found one for cinnamon cupcakes. I modified it a little, added some stuff, omitted some stuff, but most importantly added the last 1/2 cup of eggnog. They turned out yummy. So if you are looking to
1.Make some super fattening treats
2.Carry on with your holiday baking
3.Empty out that last 1/2 cup of Eggnog.
Then these are the treats for you!




Cinnamon Eggnog Cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
½ cup eggnog
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
For the frosting:
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Stir eggnog and butter in a small saucepan over low heat just until butter melts; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick enough for the batter to fall in a heavy ribbon when the beater is lifted, about 5 minutes. Add the flour mixture; beat just until blended. Beat in the eggnog-butter mixture just until blended. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
To make the frosting, cream the butter and the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the powdered sugar, and keep adding until you reach the desired consistency and sweetness. Frost cooled cupcakes.


Read more...

Thursday, December 3, 2009

It's Offical...

Winter is here!



Read more...

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Our Thanksgiving weekend started out with Sayla's program at school. It was so fun to watch her, and of course she did a great job. It is always a little shocking to see her lined up with her classmates, she looks so tiny. Although she is a year younger then some of her friends, it still surprises me!


At 6:30 that evening we headed north to Minnesota. I always joke when we cross the state line, "It feels good to be home." It may get a little old and really I'm only half joking. And in ten years I can just hear my kids mocking me from the back seat. Mock all you want kids, it feels good to be home in good ol' Minnesota, where we eat hot dishes, make Iowa jokes and ride our booats. I digress.


On Thanksgiving day I ate, but not as much as my dear husband. We had our meal with family at around 1:30 Thanksgiving afternoon. Jeremy didn't eat another meal until supper the next night. Next year we will all be practicing self control.

Friday morning a drug/dragged my sister to Walmart at 4:00 in the morning. I know right!!! We stood in line for a T.V. one for my family and one for my mom. There was no running through the door/pushing going on. Walmart had a very orderly system of waiting in line for the item, first come first serve. Then at 5:00 they handed them out in the order you waited in line. We got our T.V.'s, and some other little things. I love Black Friday which is nuts because I don't like crowds. I think I just like the tradition with other women, spending time together, and of course a deal. The 32" flat screen was $250.

This was the first television purchase Jeremy and I have made after 7 years of marriage and only the 2nd television I've purchased as an adult. The first one was a 13" my freshman year of college. Just some random facts for you.

My mom decorated the house with my kids on Friday night....after we napped and looked at Christmas lights.

Anders was REALLY helpful!







Sayla loves to decorate! She loves when I do something different in the house. She always comments, "This looks really great in here!" I can always count on my four year old for a self esteem boost!

Here is a Sayla holding a ornament with a picture of me from kindergarten. I love how my hairstyle was similar to the hairstyle both of my Grandma's had in their seventies and eighties. I think you can click on the picture to make it larger!





We had a fun Thanksgiving with so much to be thankful for. I love thanksgiving! The holiday's can become so overwhelming with buying the perfect gift. On thanksgiving we can take time to feel thankful for what we have already gotten. I really do feel blessed.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie
p.s. Sorry there are no spaces between paragraphs, blogger won' let me.

Read more...

What You Will Find Here

This is a blog about me and my life. I write about the everything, and the nothing that consumes a stay-at-home mom of two. My monster is my one year old little boy, and his sister is my four year old daughter. You should know that I am not a writer, I'm not a speller, but I think I'm funny. I really get a kick out of myself sometimes. The truth is....I'm funnier in my head. So often, this blog is a bad attempt at humor and sarcasm, but mostly it's about the mundane, wonderful, boring, exciting, crabby, happy days we have together.


  © Blogger templates The Professional Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP