You were right...

All of you were right. I was wrong. And I have surprisingly no trouble admitting it.

Having finally finished reading them, I should have read the Harry Potter books a long time ago.

Merry Christmas!

Ben and I have decided this year to postpone Christmas. Cards. There's enough stress around the holidays already, and Ben has a lot of end-of-year commitments with his church assignment as well. We have a couple of projects around the house that are in progress, and we decided that cards are something we can table for now. If you normally receive a card from us, you still will, but not until January or February. So without further ado, I present our Christmas card:

What an exciting year this has been for our family, full of changes and joy. (Don’t we say that every year?) While there have been no major life changes these past twelve months, we have thoroughly enjoyed watching Julie grow and develop, and seeing all the changes that she experiences on a daily basis.

Julie is an incredibly independent little girl. She loves to explore. She gets very excited anytime we put a coat or shoes on her, as she knows she’s in for a new adventure. Her favorite toys are balls and cell phones. She’s not a picky eater, but loves to use a fork and spoon like “the big kids.” Her vocabulary is developing slowly, but she is able to communicate with us in other effective ways, and she understands just about everything that we say to her. She is a mini-clone of Janelle at that age. All in all, we think we’ll keep her.

Benjamin has had a busy year with Scouting. The highlight of his year was the week he spent on the French River in Canada with some of his boys. The scenery was awe-inspiring, the experience singular, and the food – well okay, not the greatest. Later into the Fall, his troop cooked a full Thanksgiving meal outdoors, using Dutch ovens and a homemade oven (they used 2x4s and aluminum flashing to build it). They smoked the turkey inside with coals, and Benjamin has never eaten a tastier turkey.

Janelle has spent a lot of time with her camera this year. She has always enjoyed photography, and has decided it is a talent she would like to develop. She spent all year getting to know her digital camera, and carrying it with her everywhere she went, snapping pictures when it struck her fancy. Unfortunately, her camera broke in August, and though we are borrowing an extra from a family member in the meantime, she looks forward to having her own camera again. We’re saving up to buy a fancy one next year, and with some study and technical training, Janelle hopes to start a small photography business in the next two years. Janelle has also started working with the young women at church, and though the program in our area is small, she enjoys the opportunity to spend time with them.

We wish you all a very merry Christmas and happiness throughout the new year. If you would like to read our blog, and keep up with us more frequently (and see lots of pictures), please email Janelle at ladynutter@roadrunner.com.

My sister is awesome

I'm tooting my own horn a little by directing you here, but my sister is totally awesome.

Read here.

A wreath will hang upon your door

Every year for our Relief Society Christmas activity at church, we make wreaths with fresh greens. This was the first year I was able to go. I made the wreath last Thursday night, and picked up the add-ons yesterday at Joann (where everything I bought was at least 50% off!).



I've never made bows before, but I've watched my mom make them for years.

It matches the door, but that wasn't on purpose.


Maybe next year I'll use white/silver berries and some dark blue ribbon.

First snow

I took Julie outside today while the snow was gently falling, just snap a few quick pictures. She loves going outside (going anywhere, really) so she was really excited. I didn't put a coat on her because we were just going to be a couple of minutes and her outfit was really cute. I did grab her hat, though. She got off the porch and went running down the driveway and was halfway to the neighbor's house before I could catch up with her, silly girl. She just loved being outside, and the cold didn't seem to affect her much. She got mad at me when I brought her back inside to put on a coat so we could run some errands.



A few snow flakes in her hair.



This photo is a little blurry -- she was running and so was I, but I love how happy she is here.

This is supposed to be a nightlight?

This is a Christmas decoration:


This is a Christmas decoration on drugs:

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Close encounters of the jolly kind

Julie met Santa for the first time last night at the ward Christmas party. She wasn't very happy, but most kids look like this for their first year or two in Santa photos. I expected nothing more.

But don't you love her dress?

Please don't call CPS

I swear it's all been accidents. Perhaps you noticed that Julie's bruises the other day were on the left side of her face. Well, take note -- this bruise is on the right side of her face:


Here's how it happened. In our TV room, we have this dresser, that we don't really have another place for. Well, Julie has started exploring it recently. The doors don't close all the way on their own, so she can open them. She's also started reaching for a lot of things, as she's growing taller. She somehow managed to get a good enough grip on the middle shelf (made of particle board, by the way), and pulled it out on top of herself. She fell over straight backward, gripping tightly for dear life to the board, which landed on top of her.


Here's what the door looks like now:

Blabbermouth

I thought I'd post a list of Julie's communication skills. She understands almost everything we say to her. She's obedient to instructions (including throwing her own napkins/wipes in the trash after a meal), and responds well to spoken words. She talks all the time -- loves it. She doesn't, however, have very many words that she actually says. She talks but doesn't really speak, if that makes sense.

Words or phrases that Julie uses on a regular basis:

• More (mo?)
• All done/all gone (ah-dun) (applies to self or anyone else's plate within sight)
• Doggy (dah)
• Dots (dah) (the backing of a quilt my mom made for Julie is polka dots)
• Where is it?/Where'd it go? (whuh is uh?) (applies to objects or people)
• There it is! (uh-uh-uh, with the same intonation we use) (use when playing peek-a-boo or sometimes when not)
• Where's Julie? (whuh ju?)
• Water (war)
• Dance (daa) (usually in the car or when I turn on the radio or a new upbeat song comes on...she'll say it almost like a question and then move her shoulders side-to-side very un-rhythmically)
  

Words or phrases that Julie signs on a regular basis:

• Doggy (patting her leg) (anytime she sees or hears one)
• Kitty (a finger scratching her jawbone, like whiskers) (anytime she sees one)
• Fishie (moving her hand erratically like a swimming fish) (in reference to our fish in a tank or to goldfish crackers)
• All done/all gone (twisting open hands)
• More (touching fingertips from each hand together)
• Water (a W with fingers to the chin -- hers is rudimentary)
• Milk (squeezing a hand together as though milking a cow) (I saw her do this last weekend for the first time since I stopped breast-feeding her)
• Eat/food (touching fingertips to her mouth) (first thing when she wakes up in the morning and when she gets up from her nap)
• Daddy (touches base of hand to side of head)
  

Other gestures/sounds, though not necessarily actual signs or words:

• Elephant (raises one arm and makes a buzzing sound)
• Duckie (opens and closes hand like "quack quack," but hand faces up instead of out)
• Bee (presses fingers and thumb together and moves hand around erratically while buzzing)
• Lion (wah!)
• Monkey (touches hand to side of head and says "oh, oh")

I'm working on getting all the animals on video. She loves them, and it's so fun(ny) to watch her do them.

Making friends

Julie made a new friend this past weekend. Sadly, she'll only get to spend about a month with her friend before it goes away. She'll see it again next year, though.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Beat up

You should see the other guy.

(the stairs)

Taste of Tuesday: Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

This is for my non-gourmet friend with growing boys to feed. This recipe is really about as easy as it gets -- I always have these ingredients on hand, and there's almost no work to it. It's a slow cooker recipe, so you do have to plan ahead, but it's not an all day one.

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken (click for recipe)

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream
chopped cilantro (optional)
diced avocado (optional)

Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.
**It is very important that you use at least MEDIUM salsa in this. Mild simply isn't flavorful enough. Be sure to serve with tortilla chips, and not tortillas. The salty crunchy chips make this so good!

That's it! If you forget to put it in mid-morning, and it's lunchtime and you're thinking about what to do for dinner, you can still use this. Just throw it all in the crockpot, and cook it on high for about 3-3 1/2 hours, and it'll be ready for dinner.

A new game

Julie is starting to come up with peek-a-boo variations, and it's so much fun. Two days ago, she climbed onto the couch, picked up a pillow, pressed it to her face, and waited for me to say "where's Julie?" After I posed the question, she pulled the pillow away, grinning and playful. Here's some video footage of her other new take on peek-a-boo.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Personal Color Profile

I took a home decor personality profile quiz at Pratt & Lambert, via Hooked on Houses. I turned out "Sun-kissed" which is about right for me.


Take the quiz here. What color personality are you?

Taste of Tuesday: Really yummy meal with a really long title

I love this meal. It goes together really easily, and it's really yummy. Originally found here at Picky Palate, this is a very filling and hearty meal. My one alteration is that instead of buying a can of chilies that has adobo sauce in it (and subsequently letting the chilies go bad), I buy a jar of adobo sauce, and keep it in the fridge. It doesn't scoop out easily, but it's not wasteful either.

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Tortellini with White Beans and Cilantro

8 oz pkg cheese filled tortellini
4 Tablespoons butter
¼ Cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 Cups skim milk
2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tablespoon adobo sauce, from can of chipotle chilies
2 cooked, shredded chicken breasts
14 oz can navy or cannellini beans, drained
¼ Cup chopped cilantro leaves

1. Prepare tortellini according to package directions

2. Melt butter into a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper until combined. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Increase heat to medium high while continuously whisking. Continue until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low and stir in 2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese. Stir until melted and smooth then add the adobo sauce. Add drained tortellini to pot along with chicken, beans and cilantro. Reduce heat to low and serve.

Frankenstein Brownie Pops

I made some really cute Frankenstein brownie pops last week for book group (we read Frankenstein). I posted pictures and a tutorial over at my cooking challenge blog, What's in {Your} Oven?

Full post can be found here.

Autumn decor

I wanted to share this quick and easy decorating idea. It could really be easily adapted to any holiday or season you want. It went together in under an hour, and cost less than five dollars.

Materials:
Papier-mâché barn star
Acrylic paint
Two different but coordinating sheets of scrapbook paper
Mod Podge
2 foam brushes
Extra sheet of plain scrap paper, for measuring and tracing

1) Take your sheet of scrap paper, and trace the outline of one of the 10 faces of the star. Cut it about a quarter inch in from all three edges. Place it back on the face, to make sure it looks right.

2) Trace the stencil on one sheet of scrapbook paper five times, and cut the pieces out. Then flip it over and trace five times on the other sheet of scrapbook paper. Cut them out. If you arrange all 10 pieces, it should resemble your barn star now.

3) Paint your star whatever color you want, coordinating with the papers you'll use. Give it two coats, or however many it needs until you're satisfied, or don't paint it at all if you like the plain cardboard brown color. Don't worry about painting the inside at all.

4) Once the pain is dry, apply a coat of Mod Podge to one face of the star, and the to back of one triangle piece of scrapbook paper and position the paper on the star face. Alternating faces, repeat until you've applied all the pieces of that pattern. Once they've dried, repeat with the other paper on the still-empty faces of the star.

5) Once the entire star is dry, brush a layer of Mod Podge over the entire star, and allow to dry.

To hang it, you can put it on a wall in your house, or hang it from a wreath hanger on your door. I didn't have a wreath hanger, but I wanted to hang it on my front door, so I improvised. I bought on of those removeable foam tape hanger hook things. I fixed it upside down near the top of the inside of my front door, and then hung the star from a ribbon from the hook.

Viola!

(Sorry for the bad quality photos.)

A girl and her hair

Julie is pretty good with letting me do her hair up. I never do anything fancy, and she's not a huge fan of it, but she's pretty obedient, so if I tell her "no touch" she'll usually let go. She especially likes to pull her ponytails out while we're in the car or after she wakes up from her nap but before I come into her room to get her out of her crib.

Yesterday morning, Julie and I went to play group at church. She had two super-cute ponytails, with little red flower barrettes. On the way home, I noticed that she had started tugging at them. I told her "no touch," and she stopped pulling them out. When we got home, I took this picture. Her hair is exactly as she left it when I told her "no touch," five minutes earlier.

Holiday decorating

Relax, I'm not putting up Christmas decorations yet. I did make some, though. I went to a craft night at church a few weeks ago, and ended up with these. I altered them from the original design, and I really like them.




You start with a 2x4. Mine are probably about six or seven inches tall. Sand it down really nice, and then paint it however many coats you need or want. After it's really really dry, sand the edges again (only do this if you want the distressed look).

Choose your scrapbook paper -- I liked having two different but coordinating patterns. You could go with just one pattern, three different ones, or just do one block by itself. Trace your block onto the paper, and then carefully tear about a quarter-inch or so in from all sides, leaving the edges slightly ragged.

Grab a foam brush and your Mod Podge. Brush a layer onto the face of the wood block, and brush a layer onto the back of the paper. Position the paper, and press down. Allow to dry for 10 minutes or so. Then brush a layer of Mod Podge all over the wood (you may have to do this in two phases, so you can hold dry sides).

Next, have your wood letters painted (letters can be found at Michaels, Jo-Ann, or other craft stores) whatever color you want. Once the paint is dry, do a layer of Mod Podge over them (just to ensure a matching finish). If you have a hot glue gun, use that to attach them to the wood blocks. I don't have one, so I used Krazy Glue, which I did have.

Voila!

The original project didn't involve paper or wood letters. It was as simple as paint the wood, apply vinyl lettering, be done. I like mine better though. I like the dimension and personality.

Taste of Tuesday: Cornbread

I'll be honest. My cornbread is better than yours. And I'm okay with that. Because I'm going to share my recipe with you. Get ready, though, because it's really complicated.

1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
2 boxes (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix

Mix each according to directions, combine, bake.

That's it! Seriously.

Unfortunately, you don't really ever want to make that much unless you're cooking for a crowd, because it'll probably make two 9x13-inch pans.

I have all my dry goods in clear acrylic canisters, and after I discovered this recipe, I had to get a new one to keep dry mix in. Whenever I need more, I just open up the dry mixes, dump them into a big bowl, and mix them with a fork, then pour the dry mix into my canister. Starting with that, here are the portions you need to know for making a single meal amount of cornbread.

1 3/4 cup dry mix
1 egg
8 tsp milk (2 Tbsp + 2 tsp)
4 tsp oil (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp)
1/3 cup water

Bake in a greased 8x8-inch pan at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. My oven runs cool, so it usually ends up being about 25 minutes for me.

I grew up eating Marie Callenders cornbread. We went there a lot for dinner when I was a kid, and I'd always order either the chili and cornbread, or the potato cheese soup and cornbread. As an adult, increasingly dissatisfied with dry flavorless cornbread, I did a search online one day for a MC copycat recipe for cornbread. This was what I found. I haven't looked back since.

Taste of Tuesday: Caramel Apple Bars

This recipe is just so yummy. I made it for the first time last year, and I had to make it again this year. I tweaked it only slightly this time around, but it's really just to die for.

You may know that I always add more cinnamon than a recipe calls for. My mother taught me that whatever the recipe says is never enough. In my house, we usually double it. So that's what I did with this recipe (and pretty much anything I ever make that calls for cinnamon). Here's the tweak: This recipe has you make your own caramel to drizzle. It makes more than you actually need, so you can just chill the rest to cut up and wrap individually later. The recipe has you drizzle 1 cup over the top of the apples. This time around I did about 1 1/2 cups, just because I didn't distribute it very evenly to begin with, and it actually made a difference. Last year when I made these, I noticed that the crust -- although still delicious -- started to get soggy on the second day. This time, it stayed pretty crunchy/chewy instead of soggy until the third day (and by then there was only one or two bars left anyway!). So use as much of the caramel as you need to cover the whole thing -- don't be stingy!

Caramel Apple Bars

HOMEMADE CARAMEL:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups brown sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt

CRUST:
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon (Double up!)
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ground pecans
2 cups rolled oats

FILLING:
3½ cups sliced apples (about 24 ounces) (I used Granny Smiths, and it was about 2.5 apples)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon (Double up!)
1 cup homemade caramel

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 9x13-inch pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Prepare caramel: Mix caramel ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it reaches soft-ball stage (230-234 degrees). Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, beat the brown sugar and the next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) until thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour, ground pecans and oats until crumbly. scoop out 1 cup and set aside. Place the remaining crumbs into your prepared pan and press down firmly to coat the bottom.

Toss apples in a large bowl with the salt and cinnamon. Arrange them over the crust. Drizzle 1 cup of warm caramel over the top and the sprinkle with the remaining crumbs you set aside.

Bake 35- 40 minutes until bubbly and the apples are just tender. Remove and let cool until they are just warm to the touch. Cut into squares. Try and let the bars rest until the caramel has set before serving.

(Original recipe here.)

Julie's funny faces

I absolutely love these photos. Julie makes this face if you ask her "Are you a funny girl?" or "Are you silly?" or if you ask her to show you her funny (or silly) face. She won't do it if she thinks people are watching (i.e., she's performing), but she was in a really good mood this day, and I managed to snap several shots with perfect timing.