kitchen completion

Jacob finally finished the bar stools yesterday. Or rather, started and completed this project yesterday. It was a lot simpler than he had planned on it being. Just to give you a little hint on how long we've been waiting, the color of the chairs was the whole reason I repainted my kitchen back in January of 2008. I love my house!
So now that we have extra seats for eating and plenty of extra beds, there is always room for holiday visitors!?

McKay's first Christmas....

at home. McKay is excited this year to finally be able to spend Christmas at home (the first for this home.) The last time she spent Christmas at home was in 2003 (below). Every other year she goes to her other dad's.In 2005 we were in Hawaii (no complaints) a couple weeks before and with Betsy for Christmas.
In 2007 we spent Christmas and New Year's with Betsy again!
This year we have decided to stay at home and the kids can't wait.

The Best Minestrone Soup

I should have gotten a picture. This soup was THAT good. It's my new favorite (and it's rather simple). It's from McKay's grandma, Merilyn. Here recipes have always been favorites such as Linda Brown Tacos (which Nate renamed to Amy's Famous Tacos). She tried to recreate Olive Garden's version and I think she beat it. Anyway she gave me permission to share so ENJOY!

2-3 TBSP Olive Oil
1 small onion, minced
1/2 cup zucchini, julienne sliced
1 stalk celery, minced
2 tsp. crushed garlic (jar in produce section)
4 Cans of Vegetable or Chicken Broth (2 boxes)
1 (14.5 oz.) can of Italian Green Beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15 oz.) cans of Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can of Great Northern or White Beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can of Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can of Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrots (you can buy a bag of shredded carrots in the produce section too)
1/2 - 1 tsp. Parsley
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 - 1 tsp. Black pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp. Basil
4 Cups of Hot water
2 Cups Chopped Cabbage
1/2 Cup small Seashell Pasta (it doesn't seem like a lot but....Don't put more!)
****you can also add spinach if desired.

Heat Olive Oil in 10qt. stock pot. Saute onion, zucchini, celery, and garlic in the oil until the onions begin to turn translucent. (I threw my onion and celery in the food processor to mince them. My kids couldn't even tell they were in it.) Add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrots, spices and water. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Add cabbage and pasta and cook for another 20 minutes or until desired soupy thickness. Serve with real grated Parmesan cheese on top. (She sometimes add stew meat to this. Brow and cook (braise) for about 1 hour before adding.

***BONUS****Today I cooked a roast during church and then when I got home I shredded it and added it on the last step.

It was simply DELICIOUS! Katanya and Cruz loved it and ate every bite in their bowl. McKay asked to take some for her lunch at school and I'm already looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

2009 ornament

This year for our "yearly traditional" ornament we decided to go with our visit to Betsy's house in Texas. Near the end of June we traveled out there for a month and stayed with her and her family. It was a fun and memorable experience. We always love spending time with family. (I'm also wishing that we were in Texas right about now out of the cold and snow.)

I still have yet to do a family picture, but I have everything ready. Now that Jake is out of school for the year (2 weeks) I just need snow and one good weathered day. I won't go a year without one so here's crossing my fingers.

P.S. I never cleared the confusion from last year. I only pictured the ornament with the family picture and no description. Since it was a secret until the year was up, I couldn't say anything. It was a glass diamond with a book on it to celebrate Jacob going back to college.

Brrrrrrrrrr!

It is so nice to get out of bed on a cold morning and open the fireplace.

christmas decorations

As I got out the Christmas decorations I noticed something odd in Cruz's bedroom. Does any other kids out there do this? And yes, the bag is almost half full still.

under lock and key

Kirsten and McKay share a huge bedroom. In that bedroom they share a TV that they got for Christmas last year. Last Tuesday night, McKay came up asking if I had seen the remote. Nope. Later in the evening Kirsten was watching a Christmas show when I asked her to go shower. McKay came up 5 minutes later and asked again where the remote was. She then accused Kirsten of locking it in her safe.

I went downstairs and checked and sure enough she had tucked it in a safe place. What a smart girl. She was in the middle of her show, paused it, and didn't want anyone else to start it without her. (We love our DVR.) I chuckled, snapped a pic, and left it locked up.

I love Kirsten's thinking sometimes. Besides, sisters do this all the time right?