Year In Review // 2015

What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before? Rode an Elephant and it was amazing.  Had a child break a bone (Evangeline's finger). Visited the Fairy Forest with the kids. Made a wedding cake and TONS MORE!!

What moments from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory?  Seeing Emily Foley again after 7 years apart, family time in our backyard with the hammock and trampoline, gay couples getting the right to marry (yay!), the ill-fated trip to swim in the Great Salt Lake, Granny Bannatyne passing away and our family's visit to her grave.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Achieving my goals in connection to my 2014 One Little Word (HOME).  I decorated our home more, spent more time with the kids, and became more at home with my new camera.

What was your biggest failure? Maintaining healthy eating habits.

Did you make any resolutions? Did you keep them? To do more activities together as a family and we ROCKED it!

Did you suffer illness or injury? A major fall down the stairs.

What was the best thing you bought? The backyard hammock.

What were your favorite 3 photos of 2015? It has never been this hard to narrow down to just three.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Starting up the Renegade Craft Society with Lolly and our monthly meetings.  I look forward to them all month.

What song will always remind you of 2015? I Can't Feel My Face (unfortunately).

What was the best food discovery of 2015? Kodiak Power Cakes and Buttermilk Syrup.

What do you wish you’d done more of? Spending one-on-one time with each of my kids.

What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing out. 2015 was the year I succumbed to stress and became a frazzled, yelling, mom.

What was your favorite new TV show? The Great British Baking Show.  We became obsessed.

What was the best book you read? The One and Only Ivan.  I cried, people. I cried.

What was your greatest musical discovery? Podcasts.  Okay, that's not music, but...whatever.

What was the best film you saw this year? Inside Out.

What did you want and get? A new job for Matt.

What did you want and not get? A move to a larger house, closer to SLC.

What's something you fell in love with? Pilot FriXion Pens (regular gel pens that completely erase when exposed to heat) for crafting.

What was your family's favorite kid's book? Mustache Baby and Mustache Baby Meets his Match.

What kept you sane? Caffeine pills.  Sad, but true.

Who was the best new person you met? Two internet friends.  My friend Jess Christian.  We have been friends online for 9-ish years and this year we finally met in real life!  And Cindy Glenn, who I had fabulous girls-only dinners with each month.

What was a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015? That I need to find a way to de-stress my life.   This year I took stress to a whole new level. I need to find a way to delegate more responsibility to my family, take on less, let go of what doesn't matter.  I want my family to know I have a good life and that I love being their mom (and wife).

PAST Years in Review: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

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RECIPE: Super Simple Fruit Crisp

This recipe is so easy and delicious that it's kind of ridiculous.  The simplicity is what really makes it great. It's easy to remember because it's all 1's.  This can be doubled (all 2's) and baked in a 9x13" pan with perfect results, same baking time and everything.  It's also very customizeable and I have included some of our favorite variations below.

SUPER SIMPLE FRUIT CRISP

Recipe by Emilie Ahern

Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

1 cup oats (quick cooking OR old fashioned)

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter (not 1 cup, just 1 stick)*

1 can pie filling (any flavor)

DIRECTIONS

- Combine oats, flour, sugar, and butter.  Reserve 1/4 of mixture. Press 3/4 into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8" baking pan.

- Spread can of pie filling over crust layer.

- Crumble remaining oat mixture over top of fruit.

- Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

SERVE

Serve while still warm with vanilla ice cream.

STORE

Store leftovers in refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.

*Note: Depending on the type of oats you use and your climate you may need to increase your butter to 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks).  The mixture should not be dry or sandy. It should be wet enough to clump together.

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VARIATIONS:  This can be customized any number of ways.  Add 1/2 cup any variety of chopped nuts into the crumble.  You can also throw 1/2 cup other fruit in.  

Christmas Cranberry Crumble - Add 1/2 cup sliced almonds to the crust and also add 1/2 cup frozen cranberries and 1 tsp orange zest to a can of cherry pie filing.  Make per instructions.

Lemon Blueberry Crumble - Add 1 tsp lemon zest to a can of blueberry pie filing. Make per instructions.

Peach Melba Crumble - Add 1/2 cup sliced almonds to the crust and also add 1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries to a can of peach pie filing.  Make per instructions.

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Camera-Photo-A-Day Challenge // wk. 04

The goal was to take a photo with my camera (like an actual camera...remember those?) every day in December. Here's last week's photo diary.

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RECIPE: Garlic Bread (Eat Now or Make Ahead)

This is embarrassing to say, but I'm kinda in love with garlic bread. Like, I could eat and entire loaf for dinner. For years I have guessed at the garlic and butter spread, each time taking a gamble at the ratios. I finally buckled down and decided to make a recipe. My original recipe used Italian Seasoning and then when I was out of that spice blend one day I improvised and we all liked the result much better!  Here's my recipe as well as two methods for making this ahead and freezing it for later!

Note: this recipe makes TWO LOAVES of bread. One for now and one for later.

One more note: Using fresh garlic is a no-no here.  It will not have time to bake thoroughly and you'll have raw, sharp, garlic taste.

GARLIC BREAD

Makes: 2 loaves

Recipe by: Emilie Ahern

Ingredients:

2 loaves Ciabatta bread (in the artisan bread area of your supermarket) OR french bread

2/3 cup butter, room temp. (or 1/2 cup Brummel & Brown spread)

2 tsp. garlic powder 

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

To Prepare:

- Slice bread lengthwise.

- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well.

- Use your spatula to divide butter into four equal parts.

- Spread each cut side of the bread with the butter mixture.  You should have a very thin layer.

- Put loaf back together, butter sides together.

- Wrap each loaf in tin foil.  

To Bake Immediately:

- Preheat oven to 400* F.

- Put foil-wrapped loaf into preheated oven for 10 minutes.

- Unwrap and separate side, laying each side butter-up directly on oven rack.

-Bake an additional 5-10 minutes (depending on how crispy you like it).

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Freezing a prepared loaf:

- Write baking directions directly onto tinfoil wrapped loaf with a Sharpie marker. 

- Store in freezer up to 6 months.

Freezing Just the Butter Mixture:  

- Mix butter and herbs as directed above.

- Put into snack size freezer bag and seal bag.  Smooth butter mixture within bag to make it a small, flat package.

- Label baggie as "Garlic Bread Spread" and freeze for up to 1 year..

- When you need it just place on counter top to thaw for 30 minutes until soft.  If you want to speed up the thawing process you can run under slightly warm water until soft, but not melted.

- Spread unto halved bread loaf and bake as usual.

To Bake from Frozen:

- Take straight from freezer and bake in foil at 400* for 30 minutes.

- Open up the bread so the cut sides are exposed and cook for approximately 5-10 more minutes.

- Slice and serve.

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Camera-Photo-A-Day Challenge // wk. 03

The goal was to take a photo with my camera (like an actual camera...remember those?) every day in December. Here's last week's photo diary.

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A Little Christmas Miracle

My husband has been shoveling snow this week in sneakers. 

We talked about him needing boots, but didn't think we could afford it this close to Christmas. Last night we stopped by Goodwill to look for a used sweater I can use for a craft project and there was a pair of almost new, Sorel boots, in his size, for $40 (regularly $140). 

We debated it. 

He said he didn't think we could spend that. 

I thought we should.

We went to checkout and the worker couldn't find their tag. So she rang them up with the discount tag color from this week and they became half price! Just $20!!!

An amazing blessing during a very hard month for us!

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Bianca and Boys

Bianca: My best friend is Logan. He's my best friend and I have a crush on him.

Me: Do you know what it means to have a crush on someone?

Bianca: That you like them?

Me: Kind of.  It's that you like them more than other friends. That you are in love with them and want to marry them.

Bianca: Then I did know what it means. Because I do want to marry Logan. I just want to see what his house looks like first.

(age 5)

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This & That Thursday and perfect pajama-pants patterns

I thought he was right beside me.

Then I glanced back and realized

he had been rendered completely immobile

by the sight of a passing snowplow.

I love having a boy.

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This has been the hardest Christmas I can remember.

I have been struggling a lot with depression.

I am consciously trying everything I can to make it good

in these last few days before Christmas.

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Today my only goal is sewing pajama pants

for my kids' Christmas Eve gifts.

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RELATED TOPIC:

I had to search and search for a

free pajama-pants patterns (not draft-your-own) that sizes

by measurements (especially waist measurements).

Finally found one.

You have to go to two different pages, but that's fine by me!

Pattern here | Size Guide here

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

ALSO RELATED:

If you're wanting to sew a really

cute and easy pajama set for babies then THIS is

a pattern I really love.  I made it for Ella on her first

Christmas (10 years ago!) and I am making it

for Cecilia this year.

I make garments A and B in cozy flannel.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Like everyone else in the world I am

making a goal to get healthy in 2016.

I have gained quite a bit of weight

since our move to Utah and I feel like a failure.

A fat, fat, failure.

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Last night the entire family was draped over the couches

and floor in the Living Room, snuggled up in blankets and pillows,

eating Starburst candy canes and watching "Elf".

And we only had one major fight during the movie.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Today I attempt to cut felt with my Silhouette Cameo.

Wish me luck!

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

To everyone reading this,

I hope this week before Christmas is filled with

LOVE and LAUGHTER and MERRIMENT!

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Recipe: Sugar Plums

Christmassy references to Sugarplums:

"...while visions of sugerplums danced in their heads."
Twas the Night Before Christmas poem

"Dance of the Sugerplum Fairies"
from the Nutcracker Suite

"Can't wait to see my dad, we're gonna go ice skating and...and eat sugar plums!"
from the movie Elf (love)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In 2011 our family attended a Winter Solstice party. (First of all...how fun is that?) And at the party we made sugar plums. You hear about sugar plums a lot around Christmastime, but what exactly are they? Delicious. That's what. Okay, but what they actually are is a combination of dried fruits, nuts and honey, combined and rolled into a ball and dipped in sugar, powdered sugar or cocoa.

SUGAR-PLUMS

Recipe by Emilie Ahern

Yield: 35-40

INGREDIENTS

1 c. any whole nut...we use almonds

1⁄4 cup honey

2 tsp. grated orange zest

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1⁄4 tsp. ground allspice

1⁄4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup combination of 3 different dried fruits, chopped

(our favorite is 1/2 c. prunes, 1/3 c. apricots and the rest dried cranberries)

1/3 cup sugar, powdered sugar or cocoa powder

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place almonds in a dry pan. Toast on stove over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly browned and starting to smell toasty.  Remove from pan and spread onto plate, allow to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Pulse toasted almonds in a food processor until well chopped, but not pureed.  Remove and set aside.

3. Combine honey, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, and

nutmeg in food processor.  Add dried fruits. Pulse to break down fruit.  If mixture is too thick you may want to process in two batches or add up to 2 T. hot water, but it is supposed to be very thick.  Add chopped nuts and process to combine well.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or up to two days.

5. Set up a work station to make sugar-plums.  You need a small bowl of cold water, a bowl for each coating (sugar, powdered. sugar or cocoas powder) and a was paper lined place to put finished sugar-plums.

6. Dip your fingers in the water.  Pinch off rounded bite-size pieces of the mixture and roll into balls. Roll balls in granulated topping.  Repeat.  (I have a measuring spoon which is 1/2 Tablespoon...or 1-1/2 tsp.- which I find to be the perfect size)

TO SERVE

Lay on platter in a single layer. You may choose to place a toothpick in each one to keep fingers clean.

TO STORE

Store in single layers between sheets of waxed paper in airtight containers for up to 1 month. Their flavor improves after ripening for several days.

*Note: If rolling in cocoa or powdered sugar, roll just before serving when possible.

I hope you love this recipe and make it a new family tradition like we have!

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Camera-Photo-A-Day Challenge // wk. 02

Remember my idea to take a photo with my camera (like an actual camera...remember those?) every day in December?  Here's last week's photo diary.

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