Thanksgiving

I just love Thanksgiving. What's not to love about good food, thankful hearts, and spending time with family?!  We had a week off of school because of snow/ice and freakishly low temperatures. Zig was in town and working from home most of the week. I was able to make one last grocery run on Tuesday and we pretty much hibernated the rest of the time. Thursday morning we got up early. I took Evan on a walk in the sled. He sang the entire time. He was so happy in that little sled. When we got back, he warmed up in a bath with Nina and Rollin, who requested a bath with the candles.










I made a few dishes early in the morning and then every time we would take a break from either sledding or making snowmen in the yard, I would come in and make another part of the meal. At the very end, everyone pitched in for the final touches and the meal came together beautifully. Sela made the pan roasted brussel sprouts. She massaged every little sprout individually with olive oil before putting them in the pan. They were delicious. The rest of the menu was pretty traditional. The one problem that occurred to me about an hour before meal time was we only had one dessert, the pumpkin pie Sela  made. Pumpkin pie just does not do it for me. In fact, it's kind of a big joke with my Grandpa. He likes to tease me and offer me pumpkin pie when he knows I want the chocolate pecan pie.   I don't hate  the pumpkin, it's fine, but I had to come up with something else. So in honor of this lovely American holiday I made a Tarte Chocolat Caramel. Nothing like a little French Tart on Thanksgiving. Oh well. I'd been eyeing this little gem in one of my cookbooks for quite some time, so I decided to give it a shot. And oh my goodness, I'm so glad I did. The crust was not perfectly formed as I was in a hurry, but it sooo did not matter. It was so good. The tart consisted of a delicate buttery crust, fleur de sel caramel sauce layer, and a dark chocolate ganache on the top. Forget the turkey, I'll have half of this tarte please!I actually guarded this little treasure for the rest of the week and just finished the last bite up last night. It's super rich so you can really only eat a tiny sliver at a time.


Sela and I chopping brussel sprouts and chocolate

Sela doing a little pan roasting

oh yeah!

We filled Evan up with some sweet potatoes and stuffing and then put him to bed just before we sat down to eat.  We had such a nice dinner together reflecting on our blessings and expressing gratitude for life, health, family, and lots of other very random things the kids came up with.







Recently I read a book about the value of creating stories in our lives. Memories that stick out and moments where we make ordinary things extraordinary. We had a little moment that I know will certainly stick with me on Thanksgiving day. We decided to hike to the top of the neighborhood behind us with the sleds and the kids. They were tired but when we got up to the top we all piled in the sleds, Zig and the boys in one, and the girls and I in the other, and had this amazing half-mile ride down the soft powder. The neighborhood was totally quiet, the snow was soft, and we glided down almost side by side, just our little family. Zig had a huge smile, the kids were screaming and having a blast. Laughter was echoing through the trees. It felt like we went forever! This was such a joyful moment for all of us.The kids were just beside themselves when we finally slowed to a stop.  All day long they kept saying  this was the best Thanksgiving ever. Even though I had been  having a tiny pity party for myself earlier in the week knowing most of my family was gathering in Texas for my cousin's wedding, this Thanksgiving turned out to be one of my favorites as well.



Zig and his 5th child. I laughed so hard. He was trying to get Kona to pose for a picture. I must have take 20 shots of Zig wrestling him, Kona rolling over, Kona running off, Kona looking away, lying down, etc. But the funny thing was Zig's persistence. I think he really wanted a photo of he and Kona. He loves that dog like I love my chocolate tarte!


SIT!

The happy couple. I told Zig this looks like an engagement photo. He didn't think it was quite as funny as I did!





Our family of snowmen.


The snowmen had a rough night.

Rollin finished them off.

Happy Thanksgiving!

dance, baby, dance!

Whenever this song comes on Pandora, the kids go crazy, especially Evan! We've gotta get Evan to lighten up on his footwork just a wee bit. Where's cousin Camilla when we need her?!!

memory lane

On Sunday morning when the first snow flurries were spotted through the window, Nina and Rollin were beyond excited. Rollin ran out in a t-shirt and shorts and Nina in her nightgown. After a few minutes they came in for a few more layers and a snack. They were a sight! I snapped a few shots, mostly because they were just so excited. When I uploaded them in the evening, I was struck at how much they totally reminded me of scenes from my childhood. My parents also had a "farm stage" when my siblings and I were near the same ages as our children are now. We have so many photos of us looking like little ragamuffins but with so much childlike delight in our eyes. The naked 18 month old Evan in furry boots picking apples today is the naked little Ryan in his cowboy boots whizzing off the porch 28 years ago! Mom always said those years in Fredericksburg were the best years. I know they are a treasured memory for me and a huge part of why Zig and I are now living our own "farm stage!"

"It's pitch white out there!" -Nina

We had this unexpected arctic blast this week! Freezing temperatures...almost single digits at night and lots of snow. We  talked about the possibility of snow all last week. The kids hoped and prayed for it. Sunday we had flurries and Monday it stuck, much to the everyone's delight. Tuesday school was canceled and I was just as thrilled as the kids. We slept in, played board games, did lots of sledding, hot chocolate, movies and Nina and I braved the roads to get some last minute Thanksgiving groceries. It was a long, wonderful day. Did I mention sunny? I absolutely love the look of the trees and yard with a fresh blanket of white. I had a prayer of thanksgiving in my heart all day long for this gorgeous afternoon.

food & kids & friends & blood (a random update)

I feel like I'm at the beginning of a marathon that ends on December 28th (Nina's Birthday). Everyone's busy, it's just that time of year, but I wanted to do a quick update because the longer I wait to post on my blog, the less motivation I have. We had a pretty routine week this week. Zig was supposed to be in Hawaii all week taking care of business, but that was postponed. He was here with us all week so I took advantage of having him around in the evenings and got together with friends one evening, played tennis the next, attended an awesome cooking class, and went to book club. This weekend we took care of lots of loose ends and annoying little house projects. Little people can really do some damage to a house :) Zig spent more hours than he would like to admit searching all over kingdom come to find a new toilet lid to replace the one that Evan broke. Doesn't everyone want to drive around strip malls on a rainy Saturday looking for a supplier of a special kind of toilet lid? Didn't think so. Zig was a little cranky when he came home and I had to remind myself to cut him some slack before I banished him to the outdoors to cheer up.

My favorite part of the week was having a 4 day weekend!! Yeah for Veteran's Day. Gosh I love when the kids are home. They have been bickering more than usual recently, but still I love having them here. Lots of lego building, art projects, story-writing, memory playing, and reading (and screaming and crying). We took it easy during the day and tried to really give them a break from their normal schedules. I had to take Rollin and Nina to the open gym at gymnastics both days though  because it was rainy and Rollin has to move and exert himself every day or he will go nuts and kick a ball through one of my chandeliers. He has so much energy!

Sophie and Sam came to play over the weekend and Nina and Rollin had such a great time. Rollin and Sam took off outside despite the crummy weather, and the girls had a tea party and played inside. We made Lisa's citrus butter kettle corn and it was sooo good.


Nina and Sophie

kettle corn and raspberries

 Evan was a little sweet pea several days this week. He is my moodiest little baby for sure. The moment he wakes up, I can pretty much tell whether he will be a kisser and snuggler or the opposite. Lots of kissy days this week. Midweek he came down with a fever and felt pretty crummy for a couple of days. I hate to admit it, but it was kind of nice. This was one of those  sicknesses where he was just very mellow and lethargic, but not to a worrisome degree. He just kind of sat on the couch and would not eat a thing. He got better quickly and the fever was never high. Now it sure seems like his ears are bothering him though. I may have to take him in this week for a look.


Little sicky


Gotta strengthen that immune system somehow...oh boy.

This is a happy guy!

My old church does some fabulous cooking classes and thankfully they have kept me on the invite list. I taught one in the Spring and we had a blast. I figure if I contribute then they can never take me off the list! :) This month the class was on Sweet and Savory Fall Roasting.  They have some seriously talented cooks and foodies so the classes are top notch. They are held in peoples homes and everyone pays a small fee to cover the food which is always a total bargain given the fantastic menus.The one they had this week was better than most of the other professional type cooking classes I've taken at PCC or other places. I took  Lisa  and we loved everything so much we are going to try and make some of the recipes for some friends this week when we get together for lunch. The menu was Beef Tenderloin (Lisa and I, both non red meat eaters, partook), Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Buttermilk, Roasted Tomato and Caramelized Onion Towers, Greek Salad with Fig Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, and Triple Chocolate Brownies with Caramelized Bananas and Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce.

I had to make that Greek Salad tonight. I couldn't get that fig dressing out of my head. The dressing was divine! I love the twist of adding figs to the greek salad and the dressing. I'll post the recipe as soon as I have time to type it up.


I also made the Lemon Thyme Chicken out of the new Barefoot Contessa and some Butternut Squash Soup.



We had a candlelight Sunday dinner and Zig kept saying we might have a hard time topping this for Thanksgiving. I always have to bring Evan home early from church because something about setting foot in that building turns him into a crazy little animal. I can only handle an hour with a tired toddler so we head home. The nice thing is we are able to have a nice dinner right at 5 because I am able to prepare while everyone else is gone. Then we  have family home evening, watch a documentary and get the kids in bed early.

We made it thru the documentary by 7:30 tonight and then Rollin and Nina ran downstairs and started horsing around while they were putting away their bean bags. Zig, Sela and I were talking in the living room and then we heard the shriek. He's BLEEDING, Nina yelled! I covered my face and told Zig to run down there. Rollin had jumped from the stairs into a cement wall and was bleeding all over the place. I heard Sela say "it's squirting out" and I just froze. I could not look and kept sending the girls back to check on him. Zig got him cleaned up and the cut on his head did not need stitches. We both felt like he should be seen though so they went to the ER. He's fine. Once I saw the stunt that got him into this predicament, I told Zig the doctor may still need to further examine his head . Unbelievable. This has not been Rollin's week. He pulled a Foosball table over on himself and cut his eye and almost broke his nose at the gym childcare on Monday (Foosball table was gone by Tuesday!) I need a first aid refresher course because I do not do well in crisis situations. When I don't have a choice, I can handle the situation, but with Zig here today I just wanted to hide my head until I knew everything was okay.

The girls prayed for Rollin and remembered how much they love him tonight. Now everyone is home and safe so I'm off to rest up for another busy week.

veteran's day tribute

joyful children

We've been blessed with some gorgeous autumn weather and we've all had a great week enjoying every moment we can outside.On days like today, I can't imagine a more beautiful place to live.












Evan's buddy

Kona keeps a close eye on Evan

pumpkin scones and halloween

The kids love Halloween. And why wouldn't they...they get to have a week of fun festivities, parties at school, work, and church. Candy, candy and more candy! Halloween seems to get bigger and bigger every year with the hoopla stretching out for weeks prior. So I must say I feel some relief when we finally get the actual day behind us. This year it fell on Sunday so we opted to stay home and keep it low key. I left that decision up to the kids, and it seemed like a fairly simple choice for them. They already had way more candy than they were going to be allowed to keep at this point anyway. Since Halloween was on Sunday and Zig was feeling a little bit obligated, we did the Friday Microsoft trick-or-treating for the first (and last) time. Way too much candy for far too little work :)

We stopped by Zig's office. I always loved going to my Dad's office when I was a kid, and my children are no different.



chubby fish


It was all too much for Evan. He was a mad fishie when he couldn't eat candy to his heart's content.


We  had our neighbors over for dinner on Sunday evening which was very fun. I always make Dad's chili, cornbread, salad, and pumpkin scones. This year I tried a new pumpkin scone recipe and it's definitely a keeper. Lots of spice and tastes so yummy right out of the oven.

Pumpkin Scones with Autumn Spiced Glaze

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 7 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 large egg

For the spiced glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• A pinch of all spice
• A pinch ginger
• A pinch ground cloves

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

With your hands, mix the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

In a medium bowl combine the pumpkin, sugar, cream and egg with a whisk. Fold into the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon until the dry bits at the bottom of the bowl have been incorporated.

With your hands, pat the mix into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Continue to shape into a ball, then gently press down and out, forming the dough into a flattened circle about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. If the edges of the circle start to crack just place the palm of your hand against the edge and gently press the dough back in. Dust a large, sharp knife with flour and cut the dough into six triangles. Slide the knife under each triangle to help you lift and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

I think I've finally got your chili recipe down, Dad! I got the Rotel and I think of you every time I chop the heck out of those veggies!

The kids chose their costumes and I only made one last minute run to one store this year for a pacifier and bottle for Sela who changed her costume idea many, many times. I made it to all the class parties and really enjoyed watching the kids and all their friends celebrating.

 
Sela becoming a baby.




Sela and friends

Sela's friend, Treela, with her precious baby sister.


I love this shot...both fourth graders in Sela's class! The girls are obviously having their growth spurts a bit earlier than the boys!


Nina, Maisy & Sydney


Nina's red carpet moment


Nina and her best little buddy, Kate!

And last but not least, Zig and I went to the Hansen's international themed Halloween party. I had one decent outift that would fit the theme so India it was!

Zig is a good sport. He loves dressing up. I mean just look at that face! Okay, yes, I bribed him...again.

Happy Halloween!