What a festive time it has been! Decorations are in place, pumpkin and cranberry-orange breads are baked, most presents purchased, and now we are waiting for family to arrive.
One highlight of this season is that Ethan made his acting debut as a sheep for our church's Christmas play. He, along with his boy sheep cohorts, endured three performances. Let's just say by the third performance our beloved sheep had had enough, missed his que, and yelled at a shepherd that was poking him with his staff to "baa" on over to the other side of the stage. I will never forget poor Joseph, looking at his plastic baby Jesus, laughing his head off.
Thank you for taking part of another wonderful blogging journey with me. I am signing off from 2007 with this post and will happily meet up with you again in the new year. I appreciate all my faithful "fans" and without you- my words would just collect dust!
Blessings to you this Christmas. It is the most wonderful time of the year!
With love and cheer-
Gretchen
I've been thinking about averages this evening. On average, the boys lose two out of their seven marbles every day. On average, the boys find those two lost marbles every day. We spend, on average, $138 a month on gas. Regarding Jack's diapers, wipes, and other little essentials we spend, on average, $69 a month. On average we go through two gallons of 2% milk, 14 eggs, 3 heads of broccoli, and 7 cups of oatmeal- weekly. On average, I visit Target once a week.
Today while I was making Turtle Pretzels for a friend's cookie swap I listened to the Andy Williams Christmas Album three times. On average, we listen to Andy Williams twice a day. We also love listening to our other favorite Christmas music classics every day. These musical selections have been a staple in my life as far as I can remember except for the Charlie Brown Christmas that happened to get bumped up to "staple status" this year. I would say, on average, that we listen to Bing Crosby more than the others every day.
As a little girl I remember twirling around my Holly Hobby bedroom making up dance routines to Bing Crosby's Christmas in Killarney and Mele Kalikimaka- complete with home made Hawaiian dance moves. Although I relish in those memories of dancing to those songs I have to say my all time favorite Bing Crosby song is Jingle Bells with The Andrews Sisters. I don't think you can get any better than that.
During Ethan's first Christmas I remember dancing around to Jingle Bells with my sweet 5 month old in my arms. I had hoped back then that he would one day share my love of Bing Crosby. God answered my prayers because the Bing Crosby CD is on continuous play mode in his Lightning McQueen CD player! His favorite: Jingle Bells. He probably listens to the #7 soundtrack, on average, five times a day. I often catch him singing and dancing to this song very much like I did over 20 years ago!
The month of December is pretty much a month of Christmas music listening only. We listen to the 24 hour Christmas music station in the car and while at home we pop in Bing, Andy, or Elvis. The thing about Elvis doing Christmas music is sort of odd if you think about it- but he sure gets us dancing around the kitchen. So while we drink our 2% milk and eat our 7 cups of oatmeal each week we enjoy the company of these men belting out holiday cheer from Santa, to baby Jesus, to a fun little number called Mele Kalikimaka and smile, on average, 100% of the time.
It is currently 7:50pm as I type and I am ready for some zzzzzzsssssssss. That should give you a pretty good idea of our participation level this Thanksgiving weekend. All the Williams clan joined forces this year- a first in two years- so it was very nice to share in each other's company. The boys, especially Ethan, followed Uncle David around like a loyal puppy to its' master. Since I am not responsible for making the actual dinner I decided to venture out and provide some yummy desserts. I made pumpkin bread, orange cranberry bread, pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing (a childhood fave), sticky toffy pudding, caramel pecan pie, AND the winner of the dessert category...drum roll please.... peanut butter stuffed pretzel nuggets wrapped in caramel and dipped in chocolate- recipe to follow (courtesy of Every Day with Rachael Ray). Highlights of the weekend included our annual Whataburger luncheon followed by a drive to the hill country to cut down our Christmas tree, unloading boxes of decorations, reminiscing of said decorations, trimming of the tree, listening to Bing Crosby, spending time with family, and eating peanut butter stuffed pretzel nuggets wrapped in caramel and dipped in chocolate. Oh, and we were blessed with a very chilly weekend!
Pretzel Turtles
One 14-ounce bag (4 dozen) soft caramels
One 10-ounce bag pretzel nuggets (I used peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets from Costco)
12 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used chocolate bark coating)
2 cups natural almonds, toasted and finely chopped (I opted to skip this part but will reconsider for next time)
1. Unwrap the caramels, then, using a rolling pin, roll out each one into a 1/8-inch-thick oval. Wrap a caramel around each pretzel nugget, pinching the ends to seal.
2. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt half the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Add the remaining chocolate, remove the top of the double boiler from the saucepan and stir until smooth. (I just took a few blocks of chocolate bark coating and melted it in the microwave according to the package directions... worked like a charm!)
3. Place the almonds in a shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Using a fork, dip a caramel-covered pretzel in the chocolate to coat, tapping off any excess chocolate. Transfer the pretzel to the almonds and toss to coat; place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pretzels. Let stand until set, about 3 hours.
I enjoy a good slice of meat loaf every now and then. For several years I stuck with one meat loaf recipe out of my Betty Crocker cookbook. It calls for milk, oatmeal, and a egg- along with various spices and so forth. One day my husband pointed out that he didn't care too much for that meat loaf. I wasn't particularly offended. I just never thought of making another type of meat loaf other than the one from loyal Betty Crocker.
I pointed out this dilemma to my friend Ginger who so willingly printed out color copies of meat loaf recipes and mailed them to me. Diner Meat Loaf Muffins. BBQ Meat Loaf. Classic Meat Loaf. Asian-Style Meat Loaves. Iberian Meat Loaf. Italian-Style Meat Loaf. Santa Fe Meat Loaf. One thing that I loved about the recipes she sent is that it contained a section of choosing the right kind of meat and tips on how to properly bind the meat and what form to use.
With the proper know-how and meat loaf education tucked away, I started out by making the Diner Meat Loaf Muffins. That one calls for crushed up saltines. I really liked this recipe and loved the idea that your plate ended up housing one or two cute little portions of meat loaf. After making this recipe several times my husband pointed out that he didn't care too much for that meatloaf recipe either. Back to the drawing board.
From the recipes Ginger sent I made two other kinds of meat loaf. One involved a free form loaf smothered in BBQ sauce. After another few attempts my husband, in words that I can't exactly recall at the moment, leaned over the table and said that maybe we should let the meat loaf idea rest in peace. I was crushed. Not at him. Just crushed that I could not lay my hands on a recipe that pleased all palates at the table and in which we would enjoy the leftovers the following day.
After mulling this over I then shared the dilemma with my friend Ellen. She so kindly thought about the situation and emailed me her take on meat loaf. Sadly, it was similar to the ones at rest in their graves. All hope was lost.
I then started questioning whether or not my husband even likes meat loaf. He says he does but does he TRULY enjoy meat loaf? Perhaps it wasn't me. Perhaps it was him!
I heeded my husband's advice and packed away my meat loaf pan in the bottom of my pan drawer. I abandoned all thoughts about meat loaf as I prepared my weekly menu each Saturday before hitting the grocery store. The thought of making meat loaf was just a distant memory. That was all before I purchased a copy of "Favorites from our Table"- Ethan's school's fundraiser cook book.
As I leafed through the cook book, and got to the chapter titled "Main Dishes", I hadn't even thought that there might be a recipe for meat loaf. On page 67, tucked in between Fettuccine Alfredo and Fajitas, a title called forth my attention. Fiesta Meat Loaf. Before I even finished reading the ingredients I secretly plotted how I was going to create this dish without my husband's knowledge and surprise him with what I knew in my heart of hearts would be THE ONE.
Tonight's dinner time proceeded as normal- boys playing in the other room with dad and me getting dinner on the table. I didn't make a big deal about the night's menu. I acted as normal as possible, not wanting to draw an overabundant attention to the meat loaf staring at my husband. He didn't say much either. He picked at his salad first and then the moment came. He took a bite of the meat loaf. And another bite. And another.
"Do you like it?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yes", came his reply.
Oh, how I wanted him to say more! I wanted him to say it was the best meat loaf he has ever eaten and that he was so proud of me. At that point I didn't care that Jack was fussing and Ethan was talking non-stop. I wanted affirmation!
After dinner as we cleared the table and packed up the meat loaf for tomorrow's left overs my husband leaned over and said to me...
"I need to call the National Meat Loaf Association. I think we found a winner!"
Fiesta Meat Loaf
2 lb. ground beef
2 c. picante sauce, divided
1 1/2 c. quick or old fashioned oats
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I omit due to garlic allergy)
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
3.8 oz. sliced black olives, drained
4 oz. choped green chilies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ground beef, 1/2 cup picante sauce, oats, taco seasoning, and garlic powder. Mix well. Press into an ungreased 9x5x3 in loaf pan or 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cup picante sauce, cheese, olives and chilies. Mix well. Pour picante sauce mixture over top. Bake 30-45 minutes or until center is no longer pink (160 degrees on meat thermometer). Makes 10 servings.
There are a lot of things to be happy about today. First of all, we are enjoying a windy Autumn day. Although this stint will be short lived and mid-80's will be ushered in once more, I am relishing in all this fall glory. Ethan helped me make some crock pot black bean soup and we also baked two loaves of the most ridiculously delicious pumpkin bread I have ever eaten (compliments to my friend Kat's recommendation). So sweet, savory, taste-bud enjoying, lip-smacking good.
Another thing I'm happy about today is that my friend Gina, and her two daughters, recently welcomed home their husband and daddy who served our country overseas. I have enjoyed reading her blog as they counted the 447 days until his return. I have great admiration for this family, for Gina's amazing attitude and support of her husband, and have been blessed by their journey these 15 months.
Lastly, I am happy that I raked the leaf piles I created in the backyard a few days ago. I confess that I am a professional leaf and weed piler. Unfortunately, this is one of a few things I do/don't do that truly irks my husband and he patiently asked me again to finish what I started. So, I filled up two garbage bags full of fall leaves and weeds and I even put the rake away in the garage (another one of those few things that I do/don't do that irks my husband).
The subject of hair has always been an interesting one for me. I wouldn't necessarily put myself in the category of fabulous hair or I-gotta-have-that-girls-hair category. My hair has always been plain, simple, thin, fine...like seaweed on a rock. When I first met my husband my hair was "mermaids" length. It quite honestly was not a flatering style and made me look a teenager instead of a young woman. I couldn't do anything with it but twirl it up in a clip. As I was trying to make an impression on the man I wanted to marry, and mind you we weren't even an item at the time, I overheard him say he liked short hair. I immediately went to the salon and got my hair chopped off! After that initial meet and greet with the scissors my hair life has never been the same. I eventually went shorter and shorter and shorter. Very choppy, croppy, cutesy, sassy. (And, oh yeah, we eventually got married and yes, he still loves short hair.)
Evidently that style became synonymous with me. Kind of my trademark. I really didn't pay much attention to the effect my hair had on some but would always appreciate the compliments I received and enjoyed answering questions like, "How do you make your hair do what it does?" After Jack was born, two years ago, I decided to take a departure and partake in the dreaded growing out stage. My hair grows miserably slow so for the past two years I have endured a painful transition as those little choppy pieces grew to past my chin. I never really had an end goal in mind of where all this "growing out" would take me. I just lived my life each day and got my trims when I needed them.
I recently posted a picture of myself on this blog which caused quite a stirring in the friends and family community. I had no idea that this innocent picture of me, please examine exhibit A, would cause an uprising and make me reconsider the value of my hair. I had a comment posted on my blog, a few emails, a phone call from my brother, and an email conversation with my good friend Ginger regarding this picture. I heard a cry for, "Bring back the Gretchen hair that we grew to love and admire!" And upon consideration of these pleas I answered that call and went back to my roots. (No pun intended and please examine exhibit B parts 1 and 2.)
Tonight's trick-or-treat adventure included a pizza dinner at Packy's house (that is how Jack refers to Grandpa) and a stroll for candy in their neighborhood. The picture with the boys in front of the red door pretty much sums up how the boys enjoyed the evening. The boys are now off to bed and Nate and I get to check out the goods! I love those Super Brothers!
Nate celebrated his 30th birthday this month. Jack's 2nd birthday was a few days ago. On Jack's birthday I turn a half. And Ethan has been 4 for 3 months now. For two months I have been secretly planning my husband's 30th birthday weekend getaway. He knew we were heading somewhere but destination unknown. I really can't believe I have been "mum" on the details. I'm a sucker for getting overly-excited about things and so I worked hard on keeping the plans classified.
The grandparents so graciously had the boys stay with them for a long weekend. I advertised their weekend as "Slumber Party Weekend" as to keep things exciting for them in case any fear of being away from mommy and daddy might surface. On Friday, before Nate and I headed out, we went to their house to celebrate Jack's 2nd birthday with a donut cake and some fun presents. I don't think he understood what was going on but he sure loved his chocolate covered donut with sprinkles! With a packed weekend with the grandparents consisting of some fall festival fun, Nate and I jumped into our car and headed for the wild frontier.
Since Nate had no idea of anything we were doing I decided to just show up at places and surprise him when we got there. Our first pit stop was Ikea. Nate's family chipped in to get him a little shopping spree at our favorite design store. We had a great time and walked away with a bowl and 3 yards of fabulous fabric that Nate will make into a wall hanging for our kitchen. (Now, I know that doesn't sound like much when the gift was titled "shopping spree"... he used the rest of his gift money to have his own shopping spree at Home Depot.)
Our second stop was to our weekend destination- Austin, Texas. Even though Austin is only an hour away... it is so completely different than anything we experience here on a daily basis that it truly seemed a world apart. We stayed at the Hotel San Jose. Modern. Simple. Trendy. Cute. Unique. Happening. I was quite nervous about our particular room since it literally was one of the last available places to stay in Austin that weekend and I truly had no say. Our room was one of three in the hotel that shared a common bath. I had no idea what to expect... would it seem gross to share a bath with complete strangers (hello, dorm living), would it be sanitary (yes), would we be fighting with others for "first dibs" (no)... in fact I fell in love with the bathroom. I fell in love with our little room complete with red floors and a bottle of wine- courtesy of the hotel staff in celebration of Nate's 30th.
Our third stop was to the pinnacle of all birthday planning for my dear husband. Drum roll please..... a Segway tour by Gliding Revolution! Check us out here. I know- I know. Many of you dear friends are laughing at us thinking we are complete dorks! We thought the same thing! Nate was completely caught off guard by our excursion and it was one of the best 3 hours of our lives! We got to tour the city, ride our Segway's into a restaurant for dinner, visit the state capitol, and laugh at ourselves. Later that evening we grabbed some coffee at Jo's, located in the parking lot of our hotel, and relaxed in the courtyard of the hotel. The evening was cool and crisp.
The weekend was also spent eating our way through Austin. We dined on shrimp tacos, verde sauce that I would have seriously considered drinking out of the bowl, breakfast tacos with crushed up tortilla chips, and plenty of other tex-mex dishes with interesting twists like a pork taco with pineapple and a side order of a gingerbread pancake. The weekend also included a surprise hour long massage for Nate, and watching "North by Northwest" in our humble abode. We felt like we were on a honeymoon.
We had great fun carving our pumpkin today that Ethan so appropriately named Big Pumpkin Harvey Carvey!
It's been a tough week. Nate is out of town this whole week. He returns on Saturday which also marks a total of 17 days he has been out of town in a month and half. Jack has decided to exhibit painful signs of separation anxiety. In all of his almost two years he has never struggled. Nap times recently have been a constant struggle. Screaming and crying for up to an hour and waking early in the morning. Ethan's school's Fall Festival is tomorrow night and I'm a part of the planning committee so I've been busy preparing for the fun time. Nate will miss the festival. I miss Nate.
I'm plain pooped out but I know there is relief in sight and the light at the end illuminates brighter each day. We made a paper chain count down, that hangs in our kitchen's art museum, for daddy's return. We tear off one link each day. There is also a paper chain count down for Jack's birthday on the 26th of this month. I look forward to tearing off those links each morning.
We've been looking forward to Costco's grand opening today. For a few months now we have enjoyed watching its' progress during our weekly pilgrimage to Target. I don't know why it has excited us so, now when I say us I mean Ethan and myself, but the boys have enjoyed watching the bulldozers prepare the foundation and the walls go up.
I decided to brave the conditions today and take the boys to the grand opening. In sweltering heat, and very improper shoes for such an occasion (my bronze pointy ones from Target), we stood in line for 20 minutes to register and get our shiny new Costco membership cards. This was after waiting a few minutes for a parking spot, with my blinker on indicating my impending action, only to be outwitted by another vehicle who took my spot! I blurted out, "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Thankfully Ethan was busy admiring something out the window and didn't hear me. I quickly confessed my outburst, changed Jack's diaper in the trunk of my vehicle, and then stood in the sweaty heat for my membership.
While in line Ethan declared he needed to pee and that he was hot. I had him stand in the shade, thanked him for his patience, and let him know we would use the potty very quickly. My definition of quickly and Costco's membership sign up definition were quite different. We finally got the cards, in the door, and literally sprinted to the bathroom. Poor Ethan got half of his business on his underwear. He spent the rest of our Costco experience commando style.
We then had a wonderful, fun, and enjoyable experience. Upon membership sign up I got a bag full of goodies. I decided to take a peek and there was a bottled water. Thank the Lord! We needed some refreshment. We then ate our way through the store. So many samples to be had! This is our sampling expedition, in order, starting with jelly beans... potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, pears, whole grain bread, banana nut muffin, trail mix, pumpkin pie, spiral cut ham, chicken salad, iced tea, vanilla ice cream, and a piece of chocolate. What random fun and the initial sweaty mess was long forgotten.
We then finished our date night at a "kids eat free on Wednesday" place. We ran into a friend, whose husband is also out of town and who was on a date night with her son, so we joined tables and enjoyed each other's company. As I was busy filling drinks and walking over to get the last high chair for Jack, another mom walked over and took the chair! I wanted to say, "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" But I didn't. I just smiled, stuck Jack in a booster seat, and prayed he wouldn't tumble out.
I think we were full from our sampling because I packed two take home containers full of food. While the boys bathed this evening I sat outside the bathroom and finished my salad infused with chicken nuggets. After bath Ethan asked if they could brush my hair. I laid on the ground and let them pamper me. While laying there I realized the carpet smelled funny. After thinking the carpet probably could use a good cleaning I realized that it was me that stunk! The aftermath of the Costco experience! The boys are now asleep. Bedtime is calling me at 8:30... perhaps I should shower first!
