It's Your Birthday...

Happy Birthday Christy!

I hope you have a wonderful Birthday.

Wish we were there with you today to help you celebrate.

Christy read to go home January 1977

Christy...You are loved 

and have always been in my heart!  

Mom

It's About Time...

I hope that 2013 is going well for you and your family so far this year. We had quite a December 2012! Within the week of our return from our anniversary trip, our daughter needed emergency surgery. We rushed up to Seattle and did everything we could to help for a few days. A couple days later, when Christy was sent home to recoup, we brought the boys back home with us. Both of the boys were sick with a virus, so there was lots of nose blowing, hugging, holding and hand washing for the first week. I was a hand washing machine myself until my hands were so chapped, they were bleeding! Thanks to Curel Ultra Healing lotion, they recovered quickly. I keep pumps of the lotion at most of our sinks and on our nightstands so it wouldn't have happened if I had used it everytime I washed my hands. I think I gave up about half way through. Anyway, it really works if you use it! In spite of all the handwashing, I got sick anyway. 

Needless to say, most of the Christmas plans were modified to the plan of least resistance for our family and it all turned out fine. Before I lost my voice, the boys and I spent one day baking and decorating a gingerbread house. We also baked and decorated sugar cookies. I had lots of big plans for Christmas this year, but they ended with the cookies. We had so much fun that day! The boys did such a great job!

Lots of fun...

and a little messy!

This is still sitting in my kitchen. Don't judge me!

 

 

My dear hubby fixed a beautiful prime rib dinner for our families Christmas and that's about all I remember. I didn't lift a finger. I don't even remember if I ate anything that Sunday before Christmas eve. The kids left on Christmas eve afternoon for Christmas with family in SoCal. I must have let down after that because that is when I really got sick. No fever, so it was a virus. I had a very sore throat, dripping nose and a crazy tickle in my throat, and coughing, coughing, coughing! And a double eye infection! Even weeks later, I am still coughing up stuff! A few days later, dear hubby got sick too, but he's all better now.


Our Wolfe family Christmas was at the Stuarts again this year and everyone brought appetizers, soups and desserts. After dinner, most everyone went caroling around the neighborhood instead of the usual gift exchange. Every one that went had a great time. 

A few pictures from Wolfe family Christmas 2012.

Three week-old Rebekah

Greg and Ella

Wiley and Makena

Betsy, Lori and Cheryl

Natalie

Misty

Makena and Selah

Wiley

Mom and dad

Lexi

Nat and Ivan

Sisters

Looking up at Alan

On New Years Eve, we headed to bed a while after the new year arrived, but before we could get actually get into bed, I got a message that my dad had been taken by ambulance to the emergency room because of a possible heart attack. We got dressed and headed for the hospital. Most of the sibs were there when we arrived and we spent several hours together with mom and dad, waiting for test results. He didn't have a heart attack, but had a reaction to a new prescription, and we were told he could go home in a few hours. If you have older parents, make sure to remind them to talk to the pharmasist about possible side effects. My dad couldn't see temporarily and had bad pain in his chest, and it ended up being a side effect that can happen about 10 days after starting a new medication. He is fine now and my parents just arrived home from a trip to Hawaii after celebrating their 60th anniversary.

40 years...how is it possible!

We just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary! 

How is it possible! That's 10 years away from the golden 50th anniversary! It doesn't seem possible, but what they say is true, times flies when you're having fun! I am so thankful for my dear hubby and very best friend! We spent the past 2 weeks celebrating our special anniversary on an amazing vacation together. We had so much fun!   

Now that I have my feet on the ground again, I am prepping for a prime rib dinner for 40+ that we will be cooking this coming weekend. I should be back soon with recipes and hopefully pictures. I think I should strap my camera around my neck now so I don't miss pictures of yet another dinner I have made. That seems to be my MO.

Bye for now!

Cranberry Relish

I can't believe I never posted this recipe! It wouldn't be Thanksgiving with out this cranberry relish. I just realized that I have never published this recipe, so here it is. This is great on a turkey sandwich. Just freeze the cranberries while they are available and you can have cranberry relish and you can enjoy this relish any time of year.

Enjoy!

It Smells Like Thanksgiving...

We have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. My good friend Barb was going through breast cancer treatment last year and this year she is feeling great and is back to regular life! For that I am very thankful!! We are also very full of thanks that my biopsy came back negative! No more treatment!! So very thankful for all the prayers that friends and family prayed for me! Thank you! Thank you! 

This weekend, our family is hosting a multifamily and extended family Thanksgiving. I was up this morning at 6:30 and started the Make Ahead Turkey Gravy. 

After 1 hour in the oven

After 2 hours in the oven. You want every drop of the dark bubbly stuff on the bottom.

I will be making another recipe this afternoon!

Last night, dear hubby baked cornbread for the stuffing/dressing. We like a mix of regular bread chunks and cornbread in our stuffing. We won't be stuffing the two turkeys. Now I will keep stirring the bread up to make sure it dries out before Saturday.

It takes a couple days to get the moisture out of the cornbread

This morning I also made a new recipe for cranberry sauce. I couldn't resist a Vanilla Cranberry Sauce with Blueberries!

Cooling

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Baking Bites. You can find the recipe for it right here.

That's my day so far!

Update!

Well, here it is now, the Monday before Thanksgiving. We celebrated our Thanksgiving on Saturday and we fed 48 family and extended family. A couple times yesterday and today different people have asked me if I am ready for Thanksgiving. It has taken me by surprise each time, and I have to stop and remind myself that the real Thanksgiving is this Thursday. We had a great time and there was only one glitch, a big glitch! During the last minute details, I left my camera at home. We were too far away from home to go back. Such is life sometimes. At least we all have the memories in our heads and hearts! It was a a ton of fun and well worth the hours I spent baking and cooking.

I didn't stray very far from my regular, tried and true recipes. I made a triple batch of Make-ahead Mashed Potatoes, and a double batch of Sweet Potato Puree with Pecan Streusel. Dear hubby made the dressing/stuffing using cornbread and regular bread and lots of other great ingredients without a specific recipe. 

I also baked a batch of Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and a double batch of these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes. I also made a recipe for caramel sauce to drizzle over them before they were served with a dollop of whipped cream. They turned out perfect. That is what I contributed to our Thanksgiving dinner this year.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year as you celebrate with the ones you love!

My Dear Hubby Is Now...

Sixty!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear hubby,

Happy Birthday to you!!!

You are the most special

most loving

most kind

 most honest

 most generous man

 that I know!

You are the best dad and grandpa that I have ever met!

I hope this is your best year yet!!!

I

Love

 

Love

Love

You!!!

 

I special delivered these balloons to my dear hubby this morning!

Banana Pancakes

The boys spent most of last week with us, so I was in gramma heaven!! I love spending time with our two grandsons!

When the boys come to visit, they have come to expect banana pancakes as their second breakfast. The boys have been with us this week and so far, I have made them twice. I expect to be making them at least two more times. No problem! They are so simple, easy and good. 

Of course I didn't get a picture of the first batch that looked perfect in color and deliciousness! The boys couldn't wait. My only picture doesn't do them justice! 

The boys like their pancakes with a squirt of whipped cream!

Enjoy!