My Christmas story, limb by limb.

After spending a lovely afternoon at the Department of Licensing to get my new name on my license, I came home to make an early easy dinner of turkey grilled cheese sandwiches, tator tots and salad. Yeah, not very healthy, but a very yummy indulgence for a Saturday night dinner.
Well, after all the dishes were done I pulled out our tree and began to decorate. Funny how the boys seem to disappear when the Christmas decorations come out, but I had a lovely time putting it all together, pulling out the ornaments one by one and getting lost in the memories. Here is the finale along with a few closeups of some of my favorite ornaments, which have been mostly created by my eldest sister, Jessica.

 Ready for the celebration of the Birth of Jesus!

 When I was little, the treasure chest ornament was my favorite and a favorite of a few of my siblings. I cried when Jessica made this the annual ornament she made for gifts. I love that I have my own and hope my future kids will have some day dreams of treasure hunting as I did when I was young.

 Who couldn't love a Frosty the Snowman adorning their tree?

 An angel I bought shortly after my youngest sister passed away. She is with me every day, but also on my tree every year.

 Ok, any house without a glimmer of a leg lamp isn't truly celebrating Christmas, right?

  Beautiful angel handmade by Jessica. This angel has a song in her heart and if you have a quiet evening and a listening ear, you can hear it perfectly.

I love the ornaments that tell a story, so I have a hard time purchasing them from the store - handmade from the heart is always best and every year I can't wait to see what surprise ornament I will receive to add to my story telling collection.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Thanksgiving with Cranberry Sauce on Top!

Our first Thanksgiving as a married couple was simple, small and sweet. We had a lovely time visiting and eating our share of turkey, baked yams, yummy potatoes, dressing, three bean salad all the good stuff. My favorite was the cranberry sauce recipe I found on AllRecipes.com (Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire). It was delicious... and it was what I craved when I woke up this morning. I will definately use this recipe for this coming Sunday for our second round of Thanksgiving goodness and also for all the years to come!

Hope your day was as amazing as mine! Cheers, Prost, Be Thankful and may your days full of Turkey coma naps!

Here is the recipe, if you would like to try.

Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 1 orange, peeled and pureed
• 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 cup chopped dried mixed fruit
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

 * I left out the pecans - some people don't like nuts. I also didn't puree anything, just kept it as a chunky sauce and it work out really well. Lastly, I substituted the sugar for 2/3 cup Agave and added 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.