Christmas Recap 2012

Christmas is over and pretty much put away. We had to make room for the toy explosion that occurred...

Connor DID tell Santa that he wanted a ladder for Christmas (so he can fix the lights).

He also said he wanted ALL of the toys.

Jingle the Elf left him a nice note explaining that Santa was picking her up Christmas Eve night and that she would see him next year. She also said it would be ok for him to give her a hug goodbye.

Connor was so excited on Christmas Eve night!

These are the presents from us and Santa.

I did not get a picture of him with everything else from everyone else.

More Elf on the Shelf!

Since Connor has decided that Jingle is a girl, my friend Jane bought her a skirt!

Jingle hangs out in the "Elf Boot".

Then takes a ride from the fan!

Jingle went fishing in our fish tank.

Jingle borrowed Connor's tractor and brought him some candy canes.

Jingle had an emergency!

Jingle holding Baby Jesus in my grandma's nativity.

Early Christmas Present

Jon's mom brought over her Pug and an early Christmas present for Connor.

Now Connor has his own recliner!

And he loves his new Christmas pjs!

Elf on the Shelf: Day 11-14

Jingle got trapped.

Jingle wants to help bake.

Jingle approves of the Christmas tree. She does not approve of the fact that I can't rotate pictures!

Elf on the Shelf: Day 4 - 10

Jingle has been busy exploring our house!

Jingle hanging out in the Partylite hurricane.

Jingle rides a chicken!

Jingle climbs the Partylite pillars.

Whoops, didn't quite make it.

Jingle hangs out in the bathroom near the Partylite castle.

(Yes, I apparently have a lot of Partylite!)

Jingle and the snowman. This snowman is from Walgreens. The glitter swirls and the lights change color. It has a bit of a story. I am part of a networking group and we had a gift exchange on Monday. Someone brought one of these and it was stolen twice. Everyone fell in love with it and most of us have visited Walgreens to get their own!

Jingle sits on the fridge. Connor freaked out with this one... he could not find her and was concerned that Jingle did not come back from the North Pole.

(The puppy picture is Madison at 5 weeks old.)

Elf On The Shelf: Day 3

Here fishy, fishy!

Elf On The Shelf: Day 2

I think Jingle is trying to tell us that we really can take down the fall decorations now...

We were going to switch to Christmas decorations yesterday, but didn't get to it. We will before this weekend. I'll probably start bringing some things out tomorrow.

Our Elf On The Shelf Is Here!

I got a text from Santa this morning. He said that he left us a box and we had to find it. After searching for a few minutes, we found a plain cardboard box sitting on the dining room table.

Daddy helped Connor open it. What could be inside?

A letter from Santa and some presents!

The letter explained that Santa sent us an Elf. His name is Jingle. He will be watching over Connor and reporting back to Santa.

Jingle brought us donuts from the North Pole!

Connor cannot touch Jingle or he will lose his magic. If he loses his magic, he won't be able to tell Santa if Connor has been good or not.

Jingle brought Connor some Hot Wheels!

A Cars book, and an Elf on the Shelf book!

Daddy carefully put Jingle on the fireplace mantle for today. He says we need to take down the fall decorations and put up the Christmas ones!



Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I just received my holiday Kraft Food & Family magazine and couldn't wait to make this recipe. I love the Philadelphia Cooking Cremes. We've been doing the Savory Garlic with diced chicken and egg noodles. This ramps it up and will be added into our dinner recipes.

Here is my modified version:

Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

1 Tbsp.  oil, divided

3 small  boneless skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into 1 inch strips

2 cups medium egg noodles, uncooked

1/2 lb.  fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup  finely chopped onions

1/3 cup  fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 tub  (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Savory Garlic Cooking Creme

1 Tbsp.  finely chopped fresh (optional)

Heat 1-1/2 tsp. oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 to 5 min. on each side or until done (165ºF) and browned on both sides. Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm.

Cook noodles as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, add remaining oil, mushrooms and onions to skillet; cook on medium heat 7 min. or until mushrooms release most of their liquid, stirring occasionally to scrape browned bits from bottom of skillet. Stir in broth.

Add chicken to skillet; bring sauce to boil. Add cooking creme; cook and stir on medium-low heat 4 min. Add drained noodles to skillet, stir. After plating, sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Here is a link to the original recipe and a Kraft photo: 

 Kraft's Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce  

We Have A New Edition!

This is Bailey! Bailey is a 7 week old Rottweiler. She came home on Saturday, my husband's birthday. She came from a breeder and will be registered with AKC once we figure out a name for her.

Bailey and our almost 10 year old Rottie Madison. They get along most of the time. Sometimes Bailey tries to nurse from Madison or tries to bit her ears and gets snarled at.

She's doing really well with potty training and walking on the leash.

Family Trip to the Apple Orchard

We recently took a family trip to the apple orchard that is about 2 miles from our house. This year, there was no actual apple picking due to the weather conditions this spring. We actually took two trips, one with my husband and one with my mother.

Connor made friends with the turkeys and pea hens:

I love their goat tower and bridge.

This lil momma wanted attention!

Sweet calves

Connor loved the mini donkeys!

Connor convinced Jon to go on the Moo Choo Train with him.

Tractor ride back to the orchard and pumpkin patch.

Connor and Grandma picking pumpkins.

Instead of picking apples off the trees, they devised a gutter system so you could still get something out of the orchard.