Christmas Recap 2015

We had a great Christmas Day! There were WAY too many gifts under the tree!

My parents arrived at our house at 7 am so that they would already be around when the kiddos woke up at 7:30. The first words out of Hunter's mouth were to ask if Santa had came and was super excited to find out that he had.

To say that Gibson was excited is an understatement! This was his face when he saw the tree and the train that Santa had brought for him!

Hunter was a little overwhelmed and tried to hide behind me! 

But he warmed up to the idea of Christmas once he saw the yo-yo that Santa brought him!  It even had his name and the year carved into it. He was SOOO happy with it. It is the only thing that he wanted from Santa... He does not know how to use a yo-yo but it will be something that he can grow into. 

Hunter also liked his dino helmet and new scooter!

Santa brought Emma a long board 

Gibson was also a fan of Hunter's scooter 

 and of the long board haha. He is a gift thief

Here are a few more photos from the morning... The gift unwrapping took about three hours because after the boys unwrapped each gift we had to fully open up the packaging so that they could play with each item... we had to take a break mid way for breakfast. I made my favorite Overnight Eggnog Casserole.

Emma was SUPER excited about her XBOX

And for Christmas dinner I made this yummy crab cake with bacon, a poached egg, and a SUPER easy microwave hollandaise

I will be back later in the week to share some of our favorite gifts!

I hope that everyone had an AMAZING Christmas. I just feel so blessed that I was able to spend the day with my family!

Last Minute Christmas Tour

It is Christmas Eve... The boys are napping, Gifts are wrapped, and cookies are baked for Santa. Our Cards aren't in the mail but that is okay because they are New Years cards!!! I planed my procrastination in advance... actually I'm just realistic.

So with all my free time I wanted to take the chance to share all of my Christmas decorations.

I'm obsessed with my new reindeer pillows 

And this hurricane candle holder from target that I bought on super clearance. I  plan to incorporate it into our everyday decor.

The Nativity that my Grandmother painted has such a special place in my heart and Emma and I love unwrapping each piece and finding just the right spot for each one.  

And THIS TREE that my hubby bought this year. LOVE LOVE LOVE I want to keep it up all year long. 

If it didn't have the fake snow on it I would seriously try to justify having it up all year long. 

Emma loves picking out a new nutcracker each year. 

My silver tree in the dining room

Every year I get one of these silver sleigh bells

The Dining room table.. .not 100% complete as there are no plates and candles in the birch holders

Kitchen... 

Basement hallway

Basement, kids, Christmas tree... 

Favorite Things Friday: Holiday version

Oh my goodness how is Christmas NEXT WEEK?

I'm totally slacking this year! I have no idea what to get for Emma and I have not even ordered Christmas Cards... guess everyone will get New Years ones...

If, like me, you are looking for some last minute holiday ideas here are some things that have caught my eye over the last month

This quick DIY sign made from paint stirrers! Best thing is that this concept can be used for a sign anytime of the year... just need to modify the saying or image.

Just the other day I was commenting to Matt that no one would have the time to make popcorn garland for the tree... that's just aggressive. Plus, let's be honest, my children would pull it off and eat it... BUT these cute popcorn napkin rings are great and provide a bonus snack while waiting for a main course.

My girly heart swoons over these Nutcrackers! These are going in the file to make for Emma's room next year when i have a bit more time!

Maybe Santa needs some Peppermint Brownie Cake Pops!

This AMAZING wood-slice wreath could be used all Winter long. I swoon over this

Meal Plan Monday: Skinny Taste Cookbook AGAIN!

I've been cooking from The Skinny Taste Cookbook! for about three weeks now and I'm still loving it... Guess it might actually be time for me to buy my own copy of the cookbook and return Virginia's! In fact Virginia and Tim were over at my house for dinner last night and I had to practically beg them to let me borrow it for one more week!

Okay so here is the plan for the week:

SATURDAY:

• Slow-cooker Jerk Chicken Tacos (p.155)

SUNDAY:

• Skinny Shrimp, Chicken, and Sausage gumbo (p.234)

MONDAY:

• BREAKFAST: Corny Banana-Blueberry Pancakes (p.48)
• Buttermilk Oven "Fried" Chicken (p.151)
• Sweet Potato Wedges (p.277) 

TUESDAY:

•  Quinoa-stuffed peppers w/ sausage (p.242) 

WEDNESDAY:

• Naked Persian Turkey Burgers (p.156) 

THURSDAY:

• Matt and the kiddos will eat at his Aunt's for Thanksgiving 

FRIDAY

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Butternut squash Lasagna Rolls (p.248) PRE-Made as I will be out of town
  

I love love love this cookbook and really recommend it for everyone!

Cannot wait to share all of the yumminess with you on Sunday and share how I did cooking from this cookbook all week.

Tomorrow I will be back with some additional details on the Gumbo that I made yesterday!

Kitchen "Refresh" Reveal!

About a month ago we embarked on a little kitchen "Refresh" 

Here is what our kitchen looked like before...

 

and here is what it looks like now after a new coat of paint, countertops, backsplash, and sink!

Here is the section where we removed a cabinet... I cannot wait to get some chunky wooden shelves in here! 

Until the shelves go up it is a good place for the Advent Calendar that I made last year! I just realized I never shared it before!

So there are still a few things to do but for now I'm happy with the progress that was made! 

Favorite Things Friday

My Sister-in-law gave me two beautiful wooden stamps for Christmas last year and I cannot wait to use this tutorial on block printing to make a few pillows for our sofa.

This DIY Cutting Board would make a great Christmas or host gift over the holiday season! 

Cannot wait to get some floating wooden shelves in our kitchen! I want our to be a bit thicker though.

This Shrimp and Avocado salad looks amazing! 

This Ice Cream Sundae in a box is the perfect gift for neighbors

Next week, I plan to use this great tutorial to make a burlap wreath! 

Meal Plan Monday: The Skinny Taste Cookbook

This week I'm cooking out of a cookbook that belongs to one of my besties, Virginia! When we were at her house last week for dinner I spied this cookbook and couldn't put it down. SOOO happy that she agreed to let me borrow it for a few weeks!

I'm cooking from The Skinny Taste Cookbook!

I'm loving my Sunday menu planning in my new kitchen!  P.s. - if you want to know when I got my personalized notepad just ask me for the details!

Okay so here is the plan for the week:

SUNDAY:

• LUNCH: Bangin Good Shrimp (p.116) & Less-Guilt Zesty Mango Guacamole (p. 118)
• DINNER: Orecchietti with Sausage, Baby Kale, and Bell pepper (p.181)

MONDAY:

• Pizza Night --- I worked late

TUESDAY:

• BREAKFAST: Cali Avocado Egg Sandwich (p.37) 
• DINNER: Turkey Bolognese (p.169)

WEDNESDAY:

• BREAKFAST: PB&J Overnight Oats in a Jar (p.23)
• DINNER: Mongolian Beef & Broccoli (p.190) 

THURSDAY:

• BREAKFAST: Corny Banana-Blueberry Pancakes (p.48) 
• DINNER: Italian Sausage with Pepper and Onions (p.159)

FRIDAY:

• Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli (p.161)

SATURDAY:

• So Addictive Chicken Enchiladas (p.171)  

I'm also going to make the below dishes ahead for Matt and the kiddos to eat while I'm out of town next week:

• Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili Verde (p.75)
• Naked Persian Burgers (p.156)
• Cubano-style Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (p.205) 
• Cheese Baked Penne with Eggplant (p.254)