Handmade Gifts

This past Christmas I really enjoyed creating a few gifts for members of my lovely family. Here are some of my 2010 Christmas projects:

Knitted blanket for my niece Adelaide.

Another knitted blanket for my nephew Charlie.

Dessert Platter for my sister in law Jamie.

Family memory games for my niece Gracie,my niece Raleigh and my little sister in law Lanie.

I made some other things as well but forgot to take pictures of them.

I had a delightful time thinking of these gifts and then putting them together. Handmade Holidays are the best :)

Christmas & New Years

We went to California for two and half weeks to celebrate Christmas and New Years with my family. We had a great time and here are some pictures that capture our stay :)

Adelaide's first aware Christmas, sisterly love, mustache mirror, jack in the box, trolley car in SF, Ghirardeli Square, Christmas singing program in Oakland with the Holts, Grandpa preparing Adelaide for dinner, rocking, new baby, Adelaides playing together, Grandpa painting our Christmas gift, starting the new year off right with a walk, biking in Monterey and girls being silly.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in Arizona with Rick's family and it just so happened that my Australian family (that I lived with while studying abroad) happened to be there at the same time to celebrate this American holiday with us:) It was such a nice time to reflect on our blessings of health, family & friends.

Nicole and Gerry hosted over 40 people in their home and this was our table.

Gerry, Nicole, Rick, Emily, Aimee, Carrie, Andrew, Adelaide and Kiera.

My first time Black Friday Shopping.

Garret & Tonia's Wedding

On Sept 18th, 2010 (I know, that was a long time ago... I'm really behind but am trying to catch up) we headed out to Midway, Utah to celebrate Garrett (Rick's step brother) & Tonia's wedding. We had a great time and are so excited for the happy newlyweds! :)

Beautiful couple.

The whole fam. How cute are the flower girls?

Two peas in a pod. Rick and Nathan had a fun time at the reception dancing the night away and snapping some photos.

Good Recipe Finds

Last night we had some friends from Rick's program over for dinner and it was a great time. The more we host dinner parties the more I realize that I really love making dinner for other people. I get excited like a week in advance and try to think of what menu I could pull together.

Last Night's Menu:

Stuffed Pasta Shells

I doubled the recipe

Garlic Bread

I used a ciabatta loaf

Blackberry Ginger Tartlets with Marscapone Cream

I meant to take pictures of the dishes but forgot and then everything was gone. But these recipes were really good so I wanted to save them on here to reference later.

Laying Out in Colorado

I am a little grumpy today so I told Rick that what I really want is to lay out on a sunny beach by myself.

His response:

"Well, why don't you just bundle up in some snow clothes, go outside and lay out there by yourself? I'll set up a lawn chair and watch Adelaide."

I laughed and explained that the sunshine and warmth is what makes laying out so appealing... as well as not having to wear bundles of clothes. So he tried again:

"Okay, put your swimsuit on, we'll turn up the heat really high and you can lay out inside!"

I'm Suffering from Cabin Fever

Adelaide has become so hyper lately! I'm sure anyone who has children older than Adelaide know what I'm talking about... she has always been active but suddenly she is everywhere all at once. Whether it is rummaging through our kitchen cabinets, playing with our recyclables, putting important items in the toilet, attempting to eat lip balm, unrolling all our toilet paper, wrapping herself up in our shower curtain, throwing all her shoes and socks on the floor while wearing tights as a scarf, placing stickers in her ears, trying to destroy our dvd collection, or hiding underneath the kitchen table, this girl is a busy body! Today she decided it was hilarious to put her shorts on her head like a hat. She walked around pointing to it and laughing and laughing. I am tired but amused, what does one do to keep up?

I look forward to Spring & Summer when little miss Adelaide can take her rambunctiousness outside!

Santa is Scary Part II

We already knew that Adelaide was terrified of Santa but my mom insisted that she get a picture with him and her cousin Adelaide anyways. Here it is:

Relaxed Adelaide, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas & Frightened Adelaide

I hope we haven't traumatized her for life.

New Year Ambitions

I know it is the 12th already but Happy New Year! The end of last year I felt like I was traveling a ton- We recently got home from our holiday adventures in California with my family (which I will write about soon) and before that I had taken multiple trips and felt like I was never really home. As fun as it is to visit with friends and family it is a great feeling to be home again and back into our family routine.

Possibly my favorite routine in our family is eating together. We eat most meals at home and I really enjoy attempting to feed my family nutritious and somewhat delicious meals. Over break I read the The China Study and now I have a newfound love for feeding my family a whole food plant-based diet. It has become an adventure and in the week I've been home so far I've made some surprisingly delicious meals:

Curried Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

This recipe was tasty but a little too watery for me so I used a slotted spoon for serving.

Curried Chickpeas and Quinoa

I added a little bit of coconut milk to give it a creamier texture.

Vegan Mac and Cheese

I was especially suspicious going into the recipe but pleasantly surprised by how good it turned out. Rick loved it and said it was better than any homemade macaroni and cheese I've made in the past.

Quinoa Pie with Butternut Squash

This was pretty good but I don't know if I'll make it again.

This morning I made pancakes out of the book Vegan Brunch and I can't wait to try out some of the crazy recipes in The Conscious Cook. I checked both of these books from the library but I think I just need to buy them.

I don't think I've ever been so excited about food in my life (and if you know me that means I am extremely excited). I don't really have any particular New Years Resolutions, but I feel like eating better has definitely become my ambition for the year. And we are making a conscious effort to eat around the table every night and more often for breakfast and it is great:)

This is unrelated I know, but here is Adelaide 'playing' in the snow. She is still not too sure about this cold white substance.