Sunday Craft Project

With a drastic change in the weather overnight, and temperatures plummeting throughout the day, we knew it was going to be a day to stay inside.  Definitely a day for a craft project with the kids!  We've made tshirts before, and with a $2 clearance on tshirts at Walmart it made sense to let the kids get out the puff paint and go to town making their own creations.  They were excited to get going on it right away this morning.  The older kids had a pattern and ideas ahead of time, but spunky independent Derek just wanted to do his own thing, without anyone's help. 

 

 

We've got plans later today to get going on Grandpa Carolan's birthday cake and cooking up some soup and fresh bread to warm us up.  Stay warm out there!  Iowa winter looks like it's here to stay for awhile!

First Wrestling Tourney

Last night Nolan participated in his first wrestling tournament at South Winn.  This is his first year participating in the South Winn Mat Club, and he's been practicing for a couple of months now.  Needless to say, this kid was beyond excited!  Our main goal for this was to gain experience and most of all have fun!

 

He won his first match, got pinned rather quickly the second round, and won his third match, getting runner up  in his division.  Way to go Nolan.  We are proud of you!!! 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was spent with the Sabelka side of the family.  There was lots of food, fun and laughs.  I never get tired of seeing the look on the kids' faces and the excitement of the holiday.  This year we really tried to focus on the reason for the season.  It's so easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of shopping, gifts, parties, etc.  As a family we focused on Advent season, and spent time every day reviewing our Advent calendar and the events leading up to the birth of Jesus.

 

After we returned home from Grandma and Grandpa's house, the next mission was prepping for Santa's visit and keeping the two older kids awake to attend midnight mass in Spillville.  It was a beautiful walk to church with snow falling. It wasn't too long after we arrived at church that Nolan fell asleep.  He was so excited to be able to stay up so late and go to church with me, but just couldn't make it past midnight!  Eryn wasn't too far behind him either, and both were dragging by the time we returned home.  A great experience for them though!! The church was beautiful, as was the singing. 

 

The kids were up pretty early on Christmas morning, and it was a short night for mom and dad!  We enjoyed taking it easy Christmas Day and Randy made a wonderful Prime Rib for our Christmas dinner.  It was the first Christmas Day since I can remember that we stayed home on Christmas Day, and I have to admit I kinda liked it!

 

Somewhat Snowy Sunday

Well, the big snowstorm ended up dumping a whole 1 1/2" of snow on us.  No complaints here!  The kids were out playing in it for a little while today.  It was a homemade hot chocolate kind of day.  Much better if you have the time to make this over any other kind.  We also whipped up a batch of gumdrop cookies, another speciality of my late Grandma Langreck.


Homemade Hot Chocolate

In a saucepan, mix:
4 cups milk
8 tsp sugar
4 tsp cocoa

Heat up, then add a splash of vanilla and some marshmallows to make it rich and frothy.  We also added candy canes.  Enjoy!

My Family Christmas

Today we celebrated Christmas with my family at my parents house.  We enjoyed a fantastic meal, complete with Prime Rib (my favorite!), ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, and yummy desserts.  The kids enjoyed some time playing in the snow before opening gifts. 

Hmmmm, wonder what he's thinking?

A skidloader!

A remote control car!

Zebra lamp!

Randy got his Budweiser stein!

It was pretty low key when we got home.  We are anticipating a snowstorm to move in overnight, so we are planning inside projects for tomorrow, including some last minute holiday baking.  The kids enjoyed a movie and popcorn before bed, our comfy version of "going to the movies." 

What a great Saturday!!

Spinach Artichoke Dip-- Crock Pot style

If you are looking for something to take to a potluck or get together this holiday season, try this easy, no fuss Spinach Artichoke Dip made in the crock pot.  All you do is mix the ingredients together, put on low for two hours or so, and serve with chips.  Super Easy! I've made it a few times, and just today for our potluck at work, and it's a crowd pleaser!  Enjoy!!

http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2013/01/crock-pot-spinach-artichoke-dip-recipe/

'Tis The Season

This past weekend we traveled to Des Moines to celebrate Carolan Christmas.  Mark and Leann were our gracious hosts, and we had a lot of fun.  As you can see, Santa made time in his busy schedule to come and visit us.  Derek didn't think too much of the man in the red suit, but nonetheless were happy with their gifts.  The kids had a good time with their cousins swimming at the hotel pool later that night.

What we didn't anticipate was that almost everyone who attended our Christmas came down with the stomach flu, even Santa!  As it is the season of giving, that's not quite what I had in mind!  The good news is our household is well on the mend, wash machine is going strong and the house is clean and sanitized.  Hoping for a more "normal" routine to resume tomorrow so that I can finish up those last minute Christmas errands.

Santa Sighting!

This week the kids had their annual visit with Santa at the library.  Christmas stories were told, letters to santa were written and a snack to top it all off! 

The BEST sugar cookie recipe

This time of year we have certain traditions that are near and dear to our hearts.  I have many, but as I was spending some time in the kitchen today whipping up holiday treats, my favorite Christmas recipe brought back so many memories.  My grandma Langreck had the BEST sugar cookie recipe.  I remember baking up dozens and dozens of those yummy treats with my cousins so many years ago.  We reaped the benefits of them come Christmas Day after we were stuffed with a wonderful spread of Christmas dinner, out to the front room we would go, to grab the roasters chock full of cookies.  We would eat as many as we could, for fear that they would be gone, and sure enough it didn't take much time at all before those roasting pans were empty!  It's those memories I never want to forget. It makes me sad that my grandparents are not with us anymore, but I cherish those memories.

I can't make them near as good as she does, but I sure try.  It's a tradition that I hope to hand down to my kids.  I think what makes these cookies stand out is almond flavoring.  I love almond flavoring and put it in many baked goods.  So, if you are looking for a great recipe, here ya go!

No More Tonsils!

Yesterday marked another first for this family of 5; if you ask her, she will probably scowl at you, but Eryn is now without her tonsils!  After years of numerous sore throats, strep throat, swollen tonsils, it was time for them to come out.  Thank goodness for a wonderful team of doctors and nurses to help Eryn along the way.  She was a bit nervous, but did a wonderful job.  We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 yesterday morning and were home by lunch time. 

For now, it's lots of ice cream, mac and cheese and books to read.  And, as a bonus, I stayed home today to hang out with Eryn and have some girl time and gear up for the holidays.

So, we're taking it a bit easy this week and trying to soak in all things Christmas.  From the annual old time shows on tv to our own family traditions and baking, I am trying not to let this time of year get away from us too fast, and all the while trying to focus on the reason for the season.

Christmas Tree Hunting

Looking for the perfect tree



Found it!!

Derek wanted one a little more his size

"Timber"

In Sabelka tradition, today was the day we got our Christmas Tree.  Every year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving we make the 3 block drive to get our tree.  This year we went early enough that we were able to go and choose our own tree, cut it and bring it right from the tree farm.  We had a good time doing it, and with temperatures in the upper 30's and no snow, the weather was perfect! 

Turkey+ Birthday= lots of fun!

Yesterday we celebrated both Thanksgiving and Nolan's birthday!  The little man turned 7!  It's so fun to see birthdays through they eyes of a child.  From the moment he woke up he was bubbling over with excitement for the day.  First up, breakfast of his choice (breakfast pizza), then presents! 

Then it was time to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner.  We had a ton of food, great time with family and lots of laughs!  Nolan requested a Mario cake so I used one of those online stores to order an edible cake image.  It worked great!  I also tried my hand at making a homemade yellow cake.  It was more dense than a regular cake mix, but not dry.  I may try that again in the future!

The kids bundled up to play NERF guns outside, and were busy playing Wii and watching movies. The kids had a sleepover with their cousins, so that meant staying up late and sleeping in (hopefully, it's still early!)  We are so blessed to be able to spend the holiday with all of our family. 

New bases for playing baseball!!

Blowing out the candle!

Opening gifts

Birthday Celebration!

November is a busy month in our household.  With one birthday down, the countdown to the other is on.  And, this year it happens to fall on Thanksgiving Day!  That said, we decided to celebrate a little bit early with a trip to the bowling alley.  The kids have wanted to bowl for a long time and we just never happen to get there.  I think we figured it's been a good 4 years since we have bowled.  Nonetheless, Nolan and his friends enjoyed it!  Derek had also been talking about it all week  and also had a great time!  Nolan chose a TMNT theme and had fun with his friends.  His cousins Keegan and Lexie were also there but left before I took the picture.  Nolan is looking forward to turning 7!

 

 

In other news we are busy getting ready for hosting Thanksgiving later this week.  House is cleaned, meal plan is ready, groceries are bought, and even some Christmas decor is up!  We are looking forward to cousin sleepovers, some Christmas shopping and being with family.

  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, for many reasons.  I love the family, food and football.  And, Thanksgiving is a day that should happen every day.  We should always be thankful for what we have each and every day.  It's easy to place that in the back of  our minds, I know.  We sometimes take these things for granted.  Thanksgiving is a day that we can reflect on all that we have to be thankful for within the year.  There are too many things to list, we are truly blessed!  Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

A Short Escape

Today I crossed something off of my 2013 to do list: Run a race that's more than a 5K.  One of my closest friends and I signed up for the Turkey Trot.  It was rainy but unusually warm this morning, and for my first 8K I think it went pretty well.  Finished in 40 minutes, kept a good pace and ran the whole way!!  A good stepping stone to my 2014 goal of a half marathon.

It was also a time for mom to get away from routine and the hustle and bustle of every day life.  It can be a lot of work to get four people packed up to go just overnight, and I often feel guilty about doing so,  but it is good for a momma  to get away from her kiddos for a little while.

I left Friday evening and was back within 24 hours, but feel refreshed and ready to go again.  Funny how just a little time away puts things back into perspective.  I even managed to get a little Christmas shopping crossed off the list and prepared our little wrestler for his first practice next week. 

As the season is about to get busy it's a great time to remember all there is to be thankful for, and those little things we sometimes take for granted.  I was happy to see those little kiddos and the smiles on their faces when I picked them up.  Thankful for great parents who are willing to help out, and an awesome husband that has supper prepped when I walk in the door. 

It's the little things.....

Leaves, Leaves and more Leaves!

 

This weekend we were busy doing some projects before the really cold weather sets in.  First on the agenda was painting our bedroom.  I've had the color picked out, bought, and sitting in the house, for, uh, probably 10 months or so.  Can you tell I'm not a fan of painting??  At any rate I went to it and got it done, and am happy with the result.  Check that one off the to do list!!

 

Today we took advantage of the sunny and not-too-cold weather to get A TON of leaves raked up in the yard.  With all the nice big shade trees in the summer, we sure pay for it in leaves in the fall.  The worst part is, about half of the leaves are still on the trees!

 

We all worked (and played) together to get the  job done.  As you can see below, the kids had a lot of fun, but were also great helpers!

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Pie Tutorial

It's that time of year, time to stock up on the pumpkin puree at the grocery store!  I did this week, and ever since I can't stop thinking about pumpkin pie!  I know we will have our fair share of it this month, but I had some kitchen helpers this afternoon to help me make our first one of the season.

I am not a seasoned pie maker by any means.  I would like to be and I think all it would take is some practice.  I usually choose to buy the pre-made frozen crusts and save myself the frustration of the crust not turning out.  Well, today I didn't feel like making a trip to the store and the recipe said no fail so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

The recipe (sorry its sideways!)

Rolling out the dough

This guy LOVES to help

A little turkey painting while the pie was baking

The finished crust.  Didn't turn out too bad huh?

About an hour later, viola, it was done.  Made the house smell wonderful, hope it tastes good too!  I just used the Libby's recipe online.  We didn't have evaporated milk on hand, but it says you can heat up 2 1/4 cups of milk and heat it down to 1 cup and use that instead, so we will have to see if it worked!

We've spent much of the day getting a jump start on this busy month ahead.  Planning for birthdays and holiday celebrations, a little bit of online Christmas shopping, and designing Christmas cards.  Call me crazy, but I like to have a lot of these things lined up so the holidays aren't quite so hectic.  Randy and Nolan are out hunting so we hope they get something big!! 

Derek Turns 3

Today was the little man's 3rd birthday.  I never get tired of seeing the look on the kids' faces on their birthday.  I try to capture that excitement all day long, and bottle it up all year.  The day started early, like it usually does for Derek....about 6 am.  I tried to sing him happy birthday as soon as he got up; his response: he held up his arms stating "no, not yet."  This kid cracks me up!  


A banner made by Eryn and Nolan

Is this boy excited or what!



No birthday is complete without balloons, one for each year

After watching a little bit of Dora the Explorer (and 2 waffles later) this birthday boy was ready to open some presents.

The rest of the morning was spent playing with the new train and building his train set with his brother.  He took a quick break for lunch and was back at it,  so much that the new train went through one battery just today!

This afternoon we took in a movie with my mom, sister and her family that came up to visit for the day.  Derek was tired but wouldn't give up that easily.  We even ran into some other cousins at the movie, a nice surprise!  Then it was back home for what I hoped to be a nap for the birthday boy (and mom) but this persistent little boy played trains again until supper.  Then, it was time for cake.  Those of you who know me know that I enjoy making the kids' birthday cakes.  They are nothing elaborate, but as long as the kids enjoy the decorations, and it tastes good, I am happy.  Derek wanted a "blue" cake, and that is exactly what he got.

After cake and a quick bath it didn't take long for the birthday boy with no nap to crash.  We hope you had a great birthday Mr. Derek.  You are certainly a blessing to our family and we wouldn't want it any other way.  We love you very much!