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!