From Pumpkins to Peppermints

We have been enjoying the transition from Fall to Winter at our house. When Thanksgiving ends, Christmas begins and I love this time of year (except I'm still trying to adjust to the cold weather - I miss Arizona winters). My girls and I picked up a small glass jar at the end of the summer to fill with our favorite seasonal candies. I look forward to specific holiday treats as much as I look forward to the different holiday decorations (and anyone who knows me well, knows I LOVE holiday decorations; it's just so fun to have things to get excited about.) The first thing we filled our jar with was candy corns, then the mellow creme pumpkins -love them! - and now peppermints. By the way, as if any of us really want another addiction to any particular sweet, have you tried the new "Candy cane kisses?" Oh, wow! They are delicious. (Not so much like a candy cane, but delicious.) We have enjoyed singing Christmas carols and learning about Rudolph, wondering how Santa gets all the way around the world in a night and what kind of cookies he'd like best on Christmas Eve. We've been shopping and baking and decorating gingerbread houses and gingerbread men. (Speaking of...I've never actually eaten one of my gingerbread houses before, but the one we made this year (thanks Grandma!) smelled so good and having the nutrition facts taped to the package tipped me off that maybe some people do consider them for consumption. I asked the girls if we could just take off one tree and taste it, (like they'd say no) and it was pretty tasty. So tasty that our gingerbread house become more of a temptation then a decoration. Once we ate the roof off, we decided it was time for it to go so we could make room for other goodies, not to mention it didn't look so cute anymore.) This morning our family tried something new and had an "A.Wahl Christmas" a little early at our home. We got all dressed and ready and ate breakfast and then we were off the family room where Christmas music set the mood and we opened our family gifts. It was so much fun. This is not to suggest we don't enjoy the big family get together parties too, but there was something uniquely special about our intimate morning together. And now we look to continuing the holiday celebrations full speed ahead, with many friends and family near. Can't wait to see you all soon! We hope your December is as merry as ours has been.

Sea World for Thanksgiving!

This year we did a non-traditional Thanksgiving and headed south to San Diego. We had a wonderful time and hope you all did too. :)

Twilighters Anonymous

I just had to take this little quiz and see which heroine in the Cullen clan I would be most like. Adam took the quiz too and he was Carlisle. How cute that we'd belong together even if we were vampires! By the way, LOVED the movie! (...so did Adam... :) )


Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Another Culinary Quest

While I was growing up, I remember eating the best-ever homemade "chicken noodle" soup at my Grandma's house. I also remember her taking home the turkey carcass in a grocery sack after Thanksgiving Dinner every year. I thought it was so silly that she'd never let any one throw it away. Come to find out, she was taking it home to cook it - yikes! Why?! Turns out that "chicken noodle" soup was actually "Turkey noodle" soup...and it was delicious!
We had a pretend Thanksgiving Dinner this past Sunday (Thanks Munchie!) since we won't be with family on the actual day this year. Afterwards, I decided it was time to try another something new and use the whole turkey. I called up my dear Grandma and she told me just what to do and I made some pretty tasty homemade turkey noodle soup. So don't throw away your turkey carcass this year. Toss it in a pot, cover it with water and add a few ingredients to flavor the turkey stock/ soup broth. (You can also do this in your crock pot, if your turkey will fit, and cook on low 12 to 24 hours.)I added a few stalks of celery, a couple carrots, an onion, salt and pepper, and a few beef bullion cubes. (Other recipes I've seen included, fresh parsley and bay leaves.) Cover and simmer on low heat for 3-4 hours. Strain the broth into a bowl and refrigerate to cool then skim the fat from the top of broth. Pick off remaining turkey from the bones and save for the soup. When broth is ready, pour into large pot and add turkey and whatever other ingredients you like. I added carrots, celery, corn and peas. Add noodles and cook 15 minutes or until noodles and veggies are tender. Since I was already being a little adventurous this year, when I came across a recipe for homemade noodles, I thought "why not!" Here's the recipe. They are SUPER easy.

Homemade Noodles

1 Cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoon milk
1 egg, beaten

Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl, making a well in the center. Mix together milk and egg in a small bowl. Pour into flour well. Stir until mixture forms a dough. Knead on a floured board 8 to 10 times. Roll very thin. Let stand 20 minutes. (Can let dry up to 2 hours before cooking.) Cut into 1-inch strips, as wide as desired. (***Remember that they expand when you cook them so they don't need to be very big.**) Drop into boiling broth.

How awesome is that! I hope to hear back from at least one person who attempts making Grandma's Homemade Turkey Soup this year!

More Turkey Day!

I decided I have to share my two-hour roll recipe to go with the two-hour turkey recipe. These rolls are delicious and are quite easy to make.

Two-Hour Rolls

4 to 5 Cups Flour
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
1/4 Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Cups warm water

Mix half the flour with yeast then add sugar, oil, egg, salt, and water. Blend well with mixer or dough hook. Add enough flour to make a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Let rise 15 minutes. Punch down and let rise another 15 minutes. Knead 1 to 2 minutes on a lightly floured board. Roll out into a large circle. Cut out into wedges using a pizza cutter and roll into crescent shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter while still hot. (***Mine have never taken the full 15 minutes to brown. I always set my timer for 12 minutes and start checking then so I don't over-cook them.***)

Makes about 3 dozen rolls (unless you make them big like I do! :)

***Alternate idea: Instead or rolling them into a crescent shape, make them into Turkeys! So fun! My mom always did this when I was growing up. I'll try my best to explain without a picture. Roll out dough and cut into wedges then place them in a muffin tin, where the middle of the wedge of dough touches the bottom of the muffin tin and the point of the wedge pokes up on one edge (you can pinch it at the tip to make a beak) and the wide end of the wedge hangs out the other edge. Clip the wide end three or four times to form "feathers". When the rolls bake, they will plump up and form a "turkey roll" -hope that makes sense because it's oh, so fun!

Turkey Day!

I have told many of you about this awesome two-hour turkey recipe I have. I've posted it below for you and just discovered that the entire recipe, as well as a quick video on how to prepare the turkey, can be found at www.vons.vom -click on the Thanksgiving Tab and then select either the recipe from the side bar or click to watch the video. This is a very easy way to prepare a turkey and it turned out fantastically for us. I hope the same for all of you and wish you all a Happy Gobble Day next week!
(The turkey in the picture is the one we cooked last year. See what a pretty brown color it turns out with!)

2-hour Turkey™ Recipe

CLEAN YOUR OVEN 1-2 days before cooking to prevent smoking of burned-on grease when cooking at high heat. DO NOT USE A CONVECTION OVEN.

* 1 10-24 lb. frozen Safeway/Manor House Turkey, thawed
* 1-2 tbsp. O Organics™ Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Kosher Salt
* Pepper

1.
Remove and discard truss that holds turkey legs together. Pull or trim off and discard any excess fat in neck or body cavity. Remove giblets and neck.

2.
Rinse turkey inside and out with warm water. Pat dry with paper towels.

3.
Place the adjustable V-shaped rack in a 13 x 16 x 3-inch roasting pan (set rack sides so the bird is a minimum of 2 inches from pan bottom). ***We used a disposable roasting pan from the store and it worked out just fine. ***

4.
Rub turkey skin generously all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set bird breast-side-up on rack. Pull wings away from body, then firmly twist them to push the wing tips under the bird.

5.
Using aluminum foil, form caps over the tips of the end of each drumstick. If any parts of the turkey extend beyond pan rim, fashion a foil collar underneath to make sure drippings flow back into pan. Do not tie legs together, add stuffing, or close body cavity.

6.
Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer near the center of the breast through thickest part until the tip touches bone, which is most accurate spot to check doneness.

7.
Verify oven temperature and set pan on the lowest rack in a 475° oven. Roast according to time chart, checking as directed during cooking, until thermometer reaches 160°. Halfway through roasting time, rotate pan in oven to assure even cooking and browning. If areas on turkey breast start to get browner than you like, lay a piece of foil over the dark areas.

8.
Remove pan from oven, set in a warm spot, and loosely cover pan with foil to keep it warm. Let turkey rest 30 to 60 minutes. The resting period will allow the internal temperature to reach 165°, the USDA safe cooking temperature for poultry.

9.
Drain juices from body cavity (often plentiful in unstuffed birds) into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter or rimmed cutting board. Set aside juices for gravy.

10.
Cut off turkey legs at thigh joint. If joint is red or pink, return legs to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes (at 300° to 475°) or heat in a microwave oven for 3 to 4 minutes.

11.
Carve the rest of the turkey. Carving juices may be clear to pink or rosy; both are fine. Save juices to pour into gravy if desired.


Time Chart
10-13 lbs -50 mins to 1 1/4 hrs
13-16 lbs -1 1/4 hrs to 1 hr 50 mins
16-19 lbs -1 1/4 hrs to 2 hrs
19-22 lbs -1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs
22-24 lbs -1 1/2 hrs to 2 1/2 hrs

*Start checking turkey after 40 min of cooking time. When temp reaches 140 degrees, start checking every 10 min until thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

FREE at last!!!

(On the cleaning products above, I made .60 cents on the deal after rebates.)


(This was my "not a penny out of pocket" purchase.)

You HAVE to try this!

I have been learning to play the "coupon game" now for several months thanks to the guidance and tips from my amazing cousin Meredith. She led me to "moneysavingmom.com" where I am amazed to see the possibilities to save money shopping. I have been learning to shop and save and save and shop and budget in an effort to contribute to our financial needs and still be a stay-at-home mom, which I absolutely LOVE doing. I have saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars since summer began and this past week had the opportunity of having my first ever completely "FREE" shopping experience. I saved $25 off the products I was "receiving" and paid for the remaining $10 due with a gift card loaded with money from previous rebates. I left the store with three bags of groceries and not a single penny from my pocket! Now that's what I call a deal!

Look online for some great tips and subscribe to the Sunday paper to get those coupons rolling in.

A kiss for Grandma

Thanks for coming to spend time with us and for all the many things you do for us. We love you!

TRIP TO HANFORD

A Happy Birthday!

This past Saturday was my birthday and it was absolutely wonderful. From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed, it was filled with happy things. My mom flew into town and we enjoyed a little "cake and presents" party orchestrated by Alexis and then a night out on the town with Adam while Grandma stayed home with the little girls. Adam took me to P.F. Changs for my first dining experience there and it was delicious! I fell in love with the lettuce wraps and those who know me would know it was a stretch that I even tried them. What a great birthday! Thank you for all the cards, calls, and messages! You made the day extra special for me!

P.S. Did you see I am the proud new owner of some pretty, stylish "super power" gloves?! Thanks mom!

VICTORY!

Proposition 8 wins! Marriage in California will return to it's traditional definition ...between only a man and a woman! It was a great experience to be part of this fight for such an important cause ...and to feel the victory when our labors were through.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Good thing I like Pumpkin Pie!!!

I can't believe I almost forgot to add this picture in with our October festivities! I was volunteered by several people to be in the pie eating contest at our ward party last week. It was awesome! I've never stuffed my face in a pie before, but when have I ever had the excuse! My girls thought it was pretty silly.

P is for Pumpkin Puree!

Today was the day we have been anticipating all month. My cousin Danina gave me the crazy idea that I could cook an actual pumpkin to make goodies with. Who knew! From the moment she mentioned the concept, it has been my goal and today we attempted and succeeded. We brought in a couple pumpkins from the porch and baked and baked and ate some pretty delicious pumpkin bread this afternoon. I'm gonna' add this to the "you have to try this at least once" list for you all. Just make sure you do it on a day that you have nothing else to do and when you can keep your oven on all morning. It made for a fun project and now we have a lot of pumpkin puree in our freezer for more pumpkin goodies to come!

October!

October has been a month filled with food and friends; does it get any better. My girls and I have been having a blast together doing all the things little girls and moms do and love to have play-dates with lots of our little buddies. Here are a few snapshots of the things we've been up to.




A trip to the zoo with Gabby



Crawling buddies Julia and Allie








Making cookies at our "October party"



Allie and Ethan




Family Night with the Luke's



And, of course, my "little fancies." This is what they usually look like at any given moment. Kind of looks like a "what's wrong with this picture?" image to me. (i.e. upside-down glasses, miss-matched shoes...) Sure love these girls!

Back in business!

WAHOO!!! I can't believe it! I discovered today that I do actually have a cord that enabled me to download the pictures from my camera! Hooray! (Now maybe I can get a "real" birthday present.) I've been so anxious to post these pictures of Allie on her half-birthday (yes, we even ate a cupcake in her honor -but no, we did not actually make them for the occasion). I also have a variety of pictures from other events throughout the month of October which I may try to post soon. For now...here's more of Allie playing around in her crib being so proud to sit up.

shundiin photography

Many of you have commented on the new photos on my blog and while I wish I had the skills to take such beautiful photos myself, these are the work of Adam's sweet cousin Rachel. She has a gift in my opinion and does amazing things with light! We were so excited to have her do a photo shoot for our family while we were up in Utah this summer and wish we could take advantage of her talents more often. (I think I'd be bugging her ALL the time about pictures if were there!)

Any of you who do live in the Salt Lake area or just want to browse her website and check out some beautiful portraits, take a look at her webpage at www.shundiinphotography.com (Sorry, I can't get my link button to work so you'll have to type in the address yourself.) Seriously, even if you don't live in Utah, these pictures are just fun to look at. My favorite is the one of her daughter as Tinkerbell -so sweet! Rachel has two darling children whom my kids love to play with. She is an awesome mom and a very hard worker. Thanks for the pictures Rachel! We love you!

The Stats are in!

Allie had her six month check-up today and she weighed 17.4 lbs and is 26 in length. (Which is about 75% in both respects.) The doctor also discovered she has her first tooth. She what a good baby she is...we didn't even know!

This afternoon as I was reading in the Book of Mormon, I came across this passage: "And it came to pass that I did speak unto my people, and did urge them with great energy, that they would stand boldly before the Lamanites and fight for their wives, and their children, and their houses, and their homes. And my words did arouse them somewhat to vigor, insomuch that they did not flee from before the Lamanites, but did stand with boldness against them." This is from Mormon 2: 23-24 when Mormon is leading the Nephite armies against the Lamanites. This is what it made me think of...



I thought of Moroni's Title of Liberty and I thought of Proposition 8. "And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it -In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children -and he fastened it upon the end of a pole." (Alma 46:12) I have such a pole in my front yard signifying and publicly displaying my belief in the sanctity of marriage as God intended it to be; between a man and a woman. With 24 days to go until the elections, I feel nervousness about the society I live in and the places it my go if more of us don't "stand boldly" before our friends and neighbors.

I liked the message I found in this article on the internet by Darla Isackson stating the following: “We hold our freedom to choose most dearly above all else--and so does God. God allows his children to commit all manner of wickedness rather than trample on their right to choose. Each individual has as part of his or her very soul, a love of personal liberty that many have been willing to die for. Perhaps our most important job is to remind our children that the words on Moroni's Title of Liberty began with God and religion, then freedom--that we maintain true freedom only to the extent that we love God and live his laws.”

With my freedom to choose, I will choose to follow my God and follow His laws. "Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

For more information, please take a moment to look at the following link:

www.preservingmarriage.org

(For those of you who are unfamiliar with Proposition 8; it is the proposition on California's ballot that is needed to restore the definition of marriage to that of "Only between a man and a woman." As it stands today in CA, same-sex marriage is legal and recognized the same as marriage between man and woman and our children will be taught this in our public schools tomorrow if we don't do something about it today.)

Happy Half-Birthday, Allie!

Allie is six months old today! I can hardly believe it. As a gift, she has earned herself a baby gate as she has learned to army crawl and is getting into all sorts of trouble. She also sits up on her own now and really seems to feel like she's part of the "big girl club" now because of just that. I took some VERY cute pictures of her today, but you will have to wait to see them since I haven't replaced my memory card adapter just yet. (Good thing my birthday is coming up next month.:) Keep checking in...notes on Allie's six month check-up will be coming up next week; Aubrey gave her a pretty thorough exam with the play dr. kit this morning, but all she told me was that "something's wrong with her head." Allie was a good sport through it all, as she almost always is.

Where do I turn in my time sheet?

Who needs a handy-man when you have the internet?! I've read a few of the articles that talk about the 6-figure salary a woman in the home would earn should she actually be paid for all her many services; and I smile when I read them. I'd love the cash, sure, but I'll take sticky kisses and a few sets of little arms wrapped around my neck any day in return for the things I do each day.

This weekend I tried my hand at several new "skills." I mentioned my clogged drains in a previous post and ladies, it was time to strap on the rubber gloves and get to work. I refused to call a plumber this time, without at least giving it my best effort first. Long story short, and omitting the icky details -I fixed them both! I also tried my hand at new levels of home pest control, learned what to do about the "growth" on our palm tree, and scrubbed the "pond scum" out of the borrowed kiddie pool. Yuck! I repaired the holes in my wall from the towel hook and did research on feeding my baby "real/fresh" food as opposed to all pre-packaged stuff (this weeks' menu: avocados and bananas. Next week: home cooked oatmeal)I am feeling so empowered after accomplishing so many new things (and saving a bundle on service-man fees while I was at it)! This is my attempt to be more economical, more resourceful, more educated, live healthier and be more independent. I LOVE the resource that the internet is and have discovered the secret to my own personal super-powers...gloves! Rather than a cape like many traditional super-heroes wear, when I put on my gloves, I feel I can tackle just about anything! So next time you don't know what to give a mother as a gift...think about a clean, new pair of gloves. :)

P.S. My actual gloves are boring and yellow. Who new they came in such stylish patterns?!

Jenn's Wedding!

First off, I must Congratulate my dear husband for passing the Utah Bar! Wahoo! All that time away from you was not all for not! We are so proud of all your hard work! Now we have another window of opportunity available to us should our course ever move in that direction. Way to go babe! We love you! :)

Next, what a wonderful week we had in Utah! It was just the relief we were needing. We had a great time with the grandmas, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends -you all know who you are - and especially with Jenn. What a treat to be there with her at such an exciting time. It was an absolute privilege to attend the temple with her, enjoy a girls day and late night chatting, and be part of her wedding day. It was a perfect day (and week) for us. My girls got to be flower girls at Jenn's ring ceremony and did a wonderful job. They felt like princesses and loved getting all dressed up for the party. They practiced walking "down the aisle" all week. Lexi was SO excited about dropping the flowers for Jenn to walk over and Aubrey was so funny...she ran out halfway down the aisle and spent the rest of the ceremony picking the petals back up to refill her basket. :) I'm so glad Adam encouraged me to make their dresses. It turned out to be a positive experience. Lexi danced the night away with her little buddy Jude and we all enjoyed a slice of the cake amongst other wedding goodies. Thanks for a wonderful time Jenn and Ryan and for making it possible for our whole family to be part of your special day. You mean so much to us all! Congrats again to you both!










Me and the baby!



It is always so much fun to get together with friends while we are in town. We love the Horsleys! (Congrats again on the new house!)

One of THOSE weeks...or months rather!

So the month of September has been a blur of stress and exhaustion. Adam has been preparing for a trial and we see him in our dreams mostly (he's usually only home between 11pm and 7am). For that reason, my friend Jenn's wedding couldn't be coming up at a better time as it will allow us the chance to "escape" and get the relief we so desperately seek right now. The past few weeks have included, but not been limited to, the following "disasters:"
*We were without A/C on the main floor of our home for three days
*My car wouldn't start for four days
*My blow dryer is only working half of the time
*the towel-hook was unfortunately unable to hold Lexi's weight when she swung from the towel that clung to it...now there are three substantial holes where the hook used to be.
*That one slat in the blinds over the sliding door fell on me just about every day...and sometimes twice. (I don't think I can re-attach it too many more times).
*Two of the drains in my house are now beyond the help of drano and who has money for a plumber?!
*A few other personal struggles and some nursing issues
*And the straw that nearly broke the camel's back was when my photos wouldn't upload when I tried to post a my blog last week. That was truly devastating; fortunately, only temporarily.

Adam has taught me over the years that things like this are neither some form of punishment nor a string of bad luck, they are simply "life." Stuff happens and we deal with it. That perspective helps me muttle through, even though it's hard sometimes. And there was another side of the rainbow here...
*My neighbor brought over a huge bag full of clothes from her grand-daughter for Alexis!
*Another neighbor gave us their old bike that was exactly Aubrey's size (now we just need some training wheels)
*My camera and memory card are fine (pictures still intact)...I just need a new "adapter" (thanks Mindy!)
*The A/C is fixed and my towels found a new place to hang (although I still have a hole in my wall)
*The EQ Pres. sells car parts and found us a great deal on a new battery...which Adam changed by himself! Way to go Adam! He has a huge fan club full of girls over here. :)
*An indulgent moment with a piece of my favorite chocolate (thanks Amber!)
*And somehow the nursing situation has seemingly resolved itself just in time for our long road trip to Utah.

I think we might just make it through folks, thanks again to so many of you! Hope you are all doing well and hanging on (with both hands when you need to).

I've included a few pictures of the happiest blessing in our lives...Aliie, who is 5 months old! She, more than anyone else, can chase the clouds away and make us smile! Thank you Allie for being such a treasure to our family!