12/10/2013

Christmas in Alaska 2013

Normally, I decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. We get our tree, wreaths, and garlands on Friday. I start decorating on Friday and finish trimming the tree on Saturday after the branches have fallen from being wrapped. This year some things happened to our family right before Thanksgiving that preventive the usual from happening. This year we spent the Thanksgiving  weekend really being thankful. Our oldest son got sick on the 10th of November with what I thought was the flu. By the 14th we were in hospital and preparing for emergency surgery on his intestines. The only thing we knew was that there was some sort of blockage. Doctors had no idea what was causing it and wouldn't know until they opened him up and see what was going on. The short version is that after thirteen days in the hospital and some VERY long nights praying for God to heal him we came home the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. It ended up he had the worst Mekal diverticulitis that the Doctor had seen. He still isn't completely healed and is still dealing with some issues, but thankfully so far he seems to be on the road to recovery. I have been spending a lot of time cooking. After seventeen days of not eating he had quite the list of things he wanted as soon as he was able to eat again.
The decorating took a while this year. It's still not as much as I would like to do or usually do, but it's about all that is going to get done this year.

Just realized that one of Luke's get well balloons made it into a picture. 



Thought I would throw in the last two. I was trying to take some pictures to put into Christmas cards this year. I don't think the cards will get done. I took twenty two pictures are those two are the best. I know I really need to work on my photography skills. It's on my list of things to do everyday, but just doesn't seem to make to one of the very few things that I seem to get done. Jax and Rhiannon are the only ones that like to get their picture taken. Luke will smile the first couple, but then he's done. Mac he hates to get his picture taken. If he sees the camera he usually runs. I've read to get good pictures just let the kids play and interact. I get that part, but don't can't figure out how to keep a 5, 4, 3, and 19 month old playing close enough together to fit into one picture.

Merry Christmas,

Christine

12/04/2013

Christmas At Our House


~Welcome to our Christmas Home~


I was finishing up some homemade presents for a family Christmas party this weekend, and I decided to do a quick Christmas tour....I hesitated to do it because I never feel like I am done decorating....(am I the only person who feels this way?)....(always adding and making it better until it is time to take it down?) Well, here it is in its current state... 




 The island is a new addition...we just had it built a couple of weeks ago by a talented friend, Levi Edy, owner of Edgy Woodworking, it is exactly what we needed to complete the kitchen! 



As you can probably tell I don't spend much money on decorations, I like the natural texture of Georgia pine cones and the scrap limbs off my live Christmas tree :)...this year I bought one poinsettia. I usually buy a few things after Christmas every year on clearance and that about sums up my decorating.  I use my everyday decorations in different ways and it works for me....imagine that...I like the way I decorate. :)  By the way, I am listening to the Piano Guys on youtube as I write this....they are AmaZiNg!



This is the Laundry room...we built the magnetic chalkboard a month or so ago and I love it...the kids do as well....I was in the attic getting my Christmas decorations and I found that deer head/skull...hope Grant doesn't mind that I hung it up...he hasn't seen it yet..he is too busy trying to get more antlers for me in Illinois.


Claira hangs her tests on the board when she gets a perfect score...(I rotate them out because she usually gets 100% and I run out of room on the board)


The rest of the pictures are just different shots of the living area....When we renovated the house we took out walls in the main living area and it turned a little house with small rooms into an open and inviting living area...we had over 20 people in here the other night for my sons 4th birthday party and we had plenty of room....I'm a fan of open living areas!










Here is a good example of my crazy rearranging...the jar on the end with the acorns (which the kids and I picked up off the ground) and candle, usually, holds my brown sugar in the kitchen.....but, it will act as a candle holder during the Christmas season. Typically,  the black lantern is on the porch but I thought it added a nice touch here....The nativity painting is a clearance item from Kirklands last Christmas...$19.99...I bought 2, one for me and one for my mother in law...I believe they were $89.99 regular priced.


I have enjoyed decorating our little cottage "fixer-upper" for the first time....it's Home....Cozy, Warm and our Little Refuge from this crazy world....Obviously, decorating is not the important part of Christmas, in fact it's irrelevant. It's something we do for ourselves...the importance of Christmas is solely the acknowledgement of the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  ~Luke 2 is a good place to read all about it~

Merry Christmas!


Rhiannon

10/24/2013

Christmas Giveaway



My sister Rhiannon posted a link on facebook for this Christmas sign giveaway from Between You and Me. I had to enter....I love this sign! If I don't win I'm pretty sure I will be making one myself:) Check it out and enter for your chance to win!!




Image of Merry Little Christmas 2x2
via





Mary Elizabeth

10/18/2013

Fall Art Print { Free Download }


Have you gotten your free printable from Jones Design Company? 
I got mine and it is so cute! Perfect little touch of fall in a frame! Check it out here.

autumn-essentials-painting-free-download
{ via }



Mary Elizabeth

Firday's Treat ~ Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

It has been entirely too long since my last Friday's Treat post! Or any post for that matter, My two little babies keep my days full. Especially since they lack { for the most part } the desire to sleep!! I will post all the goodies I have been making as time allows, there are several you won't want to miss!

I have been ready to make something pumpkin for a while but the office seems to enjoy chocolate and more chocolate....well, not today:) Sorry ya'll!!


I have been eyeing these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls for several weeks and I am so glad I finally made them! They were just as simple as regular cinnamon rolls, if you can call cinnamon rolls simple. I think I will try a different recipe next time, or just use a plain dough and do a pumpkin filling. Just to mix things up a bit. I found the recipe on Six Sister's Stuff website. They have some great fall recipes so check them out.




These are every bit as good as they look. I didn't make the cream cheese frosting. I thought the brown butter caramel drizzle would be better. These rolls do not lack sweetness and I think the cream cheese frosting would have been too much...



my little helpers hard at work. I officially need more counter space:)


Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
      from Six Sister's Stuff

Dough:
1/4 c. warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
1/3 c. margarine, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp salt
5-6 c. flour


Filling:
1/2 c - 2/3 c. canned pumpkin puree (to your preference)
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 T cinnamon
*optional: 3/4 c. raisins, 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans


Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 T butter    1/2 tsp vanilla     2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Combine warm water, yeast, and teaspoon of sugar in small bowl. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until froth doubles.
2. In mixer fitted with dough hook, combine milk, eggs, pumpkin, margarine, the 1/2 c. sugar, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Mix until smooth (don't have a mixer? You can still make these. I first used a wooden spoon until it got to be too hard and then I started using my hands. You have to knead it for a while to get that smooth consistency, but it can be done!).
3. Add 4 cups flour to mixing bowl. Pour frothed yeast mixture on top of flour. Knead about 5 minutes, adding flour 1/2 c. at a time until dough barely begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Dough should be smooth and moist, but not sticky.
4. Spray a bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover with wet towel, or plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow to raise until doubled, about 1 hour.
5. While dough is raising, prepare filling. Place room temperature butter and pumpkin puree in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is smooth. In another small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon, set both bowls aside.
6. Pour dough out on slightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle 16x21 inches, dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the pumpkin/butter mixture over rectangle. Next, evenly spread the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top, slightly pressing it into the dough.
7. Roll up long side of dough, forming long tube. Cut tube with sharp knife about every 2 inches, making 12 rolls. Place rolls in lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
9. Bake rolls in oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to make frosting. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Brown Butter Drizzle/Frosting:
1 stick butter, melted and slightly browned
1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar, homemade makes it so much better
2-3 tbls milk
1-2 cups powdered sugar
melt butter in pan until slightly brown. add brown sugar and milk and stir to combine. remove from heat and add enough  powdered sugar to get your desired consistency. I only used about 3/4 cup for this recipe because I didn't want it to be too thick.


A Fall Home Tour

Fall home tours seem to be all the rage on the blogs these days. So, I am jumping on the band wagon and showing you some pictures of my home decorated for the fall season.





He finally made it into a picture. He was saying cheese too as he popped his head up.





I really like to use the Indian corn and pumpkins to decorate for fall. I do wish that we were able to get the more muted color pumpkins and gourds. The Indian corn brings back "fond" memories of my teenage years. There was a fall were my sisters and I husked Indian corn by the truck loads. A family friend had a farm and sold it to the grocery stores in the area. They would bring a pick up load late in the evening and want it husked and tied in bunches of three by the next evening. The worst was husking a wormy ear. It was worth it though. We made about $3500 in about three weeks.

Hope you enjoyed our "little" home tour.



Christine

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